Engineer Drowns in Greater Noida Construction Pit

A 27-year-old software engineer drowned in a water-filled construction pit in Greater Noida's Sector 150 after his car plunged into the unguarded excavation late Friday night, prompting allegations of delayed rescue efforts and sparking public outrage over local safety measures.

Yuvraj Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park in Noida, was driving home from his job in Gurugram when dense fog reduced visibility to near zero around midnight. His Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara veered off the service road during a turn, struck an unprotected drainage boundary, and fell into a pit estimated at 20 to 70 feet deep, filled with rainwater from recent construction work. The site, linked to real estate projects, lacked barricades, reflectors, or warning signs, according to police and family statements.

Mehta survived the initial plunge and climbed onto the roof of his partially submerged vehicle, where he remained for about 90 minutes to two hours, shouting for help and using his phone's torch to signal his location. He called his father, Rajkumar Mehta, multiple times, pleading, "Papa, mujhe bacha lo," or "Dad, save me. I'm drowning," as recounted by the father. Rajkumar Mehta arrived at the...