“Who Will Pay for the Wall?” Truck Driver Who Survived Where Techie Drowned Alleges Noida Authority Apathy

As outrage continues over the drowning death of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta in Noida, a truck driver has come forward to say he narrowly escaped death at the same spot just weeks earlier.

His account has intensified scrutiny of the administration's preparedness and response at the accident-prone location.

Survivor Describes Fall Into Ditch and Delayed Help

Gurvinder Singh, a truck driver, said his vehicle fell into the water-filled ditch around two weeks before Yuvraj's death. Recalling the incident, he said the area had no warning signs or barricades.

"The drain and the ditch are barely 10 steps from the road. There is no signboard or barricade. The truck hit the drain wall and overshot. The front tyres were in the air, and the middle ones got stuck on the wall. I jumped off the truck and landed in neck-deep water," Gurvinder told NDTV.

He said the accident occurred around 12.30 am and that he remained trapped for hours before help arrived. "I fell into the ditch around 12.30. Around 4 am, some local residents helped me out. Two cops came around two hours after I had fallen, but they did nothing. If the district administration wanted, an excavator could have been brought immediately," he said.

'They Asked Who Would Pay for the Wall,' Says Driver

Gurvinder said officials from the Noida Authority reached the spot hours later but focused on the damaged structure rather than his condition.

"A team from the authority came around noon and asked who would pay for the damaged wall. I told them that I barely survived," he said.

He added that he suffered internal injuries in the accident and has been stammering since the traumatic incident.

Techie's Death Sparks Wider Questions on Civic Accountability

Eighteen days after Gurvinder's close shave, software engineer Yuvraj Mehta was returning home to Sector 150 from Gurugram around midnight when his car overshot the road and plunged into the same ditch. Despite rescue attempts by police and firefighters, Yuvraj drowned about 90 minutes later. His body was recovered the next morning, while the car is yet to be retrieved.

Reacting to the tragedy, Gurvinder questioned why safety measures were still missing. "This man died. Who knows how many more people would die? There is no barricade or signboard there. The administration is responsible. If the administration wanted, an excavator would have come in minutes," he said.

Yuvraj's death has led to sharp criticism of the Noida administration and its emergency response, with questions raised over delayed rescue efforts and the absence of basic road safety arrangements. The Uttar Pradesh government has since formed a three-member Special Investigation Team to probe the incident, while Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M has been removed from his post.