Residents Raised Alarm Months Before Noida Techie's Tragic Death
Four and a half months before a young software professional drowned in a water-filled ditch in Noida, local residents had already sounded the alarm. They wrote a detailed letter to their Member of Parliament, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, highlighting dangerous civic conditions in Sector 150.
The Fatal Night and Unheeded Warnings
Soon after midnight on Friday, Yuvraj Mehta, a 27-year-old software professional, drove his car along a dark road shrouded in fog. His vehicle crashed through a low, broken fence and plunged into a deep swamp. Witnesses reported hearing his shouts for help before he drowned.
This tragedy occurred despite clear warnings from residents months earlier. On August 27, 2025, residents of Samridhi Luxuriya Avenue housing society wrote to MP Mahesh Sharma listing seven critical issues affecting their daily lives.
Their complaints included:
- Accumulated water creating hazardous conditions
- Damaged roads needing immediate repair
- Complete lack of street lighting in many areas
- Uncovered drains posing safety risks
- Absence of CCTV cameras for security
The residents specifically warned that the poor state of roads had "increased the possibility of accidents" and that darkness at night created serious security risks.
Official Response and Subsequent Actions
MP Mahesh Sharma forwarded the residents' complaint to Noida Authority CEO Dr. Lokesh M on September 2, 2025. He attached a covering note asking the authority to take appropriate action and inform him of the steps taken.
"When people write to us with complaints, we forward them to the authorities concerned," Sharma told The Indian Express. "In this case also, the people of the locality wrote to me and I forwarded that letter to the Noida authorities."
Four months after this initial complaint, another resident filed an online grievance about open sewers in the same area. Kunal Bhatia, who lived in the same Tata Eureka Park society as Yuvraj Mehta, submitted this complaint. According to residents, this second complaint still shows as "pending" on the official website.
Aftermath and Accountability
Following Yuvraj Mehta's tragic death, the Uttar Pradesh government took swift action on Monday. They removed Dr. Lokesh M from his position as Noida Authority CEO and placed him on the "waitlist." Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also ordered a Special Investigation Team probe into the incident.
Family members and area residents have pointed to multiple factors that contributed to the tragedy. They highlight the broken boundary wall around the plot, the absence of reflectors along the road, and the complete lack of street lighting. These conditions, combined with heavy fog, created a perfect storm of danger.
The residents' original letter to MP Sharma now reads as a chilling prediction. They had explicitly warned about accidents waiting to happen due to poor infrastructure. Their concerns about darkness increasing security risks proved tragically accurate.
This incident raises serious questions about civic responsiveness and infrastructure maintenance in rapidly developing urban areas. It highlights the gap between resident complaints and official action, with devastating consequences in this case.
