Two more held in Noida techie death case; NGT takes suo motu cognisance

Two more builders linked to the water-filled plot in Noida’s Sector 150, where a 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, died after his car plunged into the pit early on Saturday, were arrested on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Abhay Kumar was arrested, and a local court remanded him to six days’ judicial custody on Wednesday. In all, five builders have been booked in connection with the case.

The two arrested men were identified as Ravi Bansal, a resident of Sector 21D in Faridabad, Haryana, and Sachin Karanwal of Shalimar Garden in Ghaziabad. 

Additional Police Commissioner Rajeev Narayan reportedly stated both were office bearers of Lotus Greens Pvt Ltd and also shareholders in the plot where the incident occurred.

On Thursday, the police also registered another FIR under provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 290 relating to negligent conduct with respect to buildings or structures. The FIR names five shareholders of the plot, including MZ Wiztown promoter Abhay Kumar.

Earlier this week, police had booked MZ Wiztown and Lotus Greens on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence and acts endangering life. 

Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports.

A Bench of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Dr A Senthil Vel sought responses from the Noida Authority, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the Irrigation Department, the Principal Secretary (Environment), and the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar in the matter.

Issuing notice to all authorities, the green tribunal directed them to file their replies by way of affidavit at least one week before the next hearing.

The matter has been listed for further consideration on April 10.

The NGT observed that the incident raised substantial issues relating to compliance with environmental norms and prima facie indicated violations of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

According to preliminary findings, Mehta’s car fell into the water-filled trench while taking a sharp right-angle turn amid dense fog. The land parcel had originally been allotted for a private mall project but gradually turned into a pond due to the accumulation of rainwater and wastewater from nearby housing societies.

The report also took note of documents indicating that although a stormwater management plan was prepared by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department in 2015, it was never implemented. A proposal to construct a head regulator to divert excess water into the Hindon river remained unexecuted, leading to prolonged waterlogging and stagnation in the area.

The investigation has gathered pace with a Special Investigation Team (SIT) beginning its probe into the circumstances leading to Mehta’s death. 

The SIT was constituted on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has sought a report within five days. 

Following the incident, the Chief Minister removed Noida Authority CEO M Lokesh from his post and terminated the services of a junior engineer, while police have also arrested a builder-cum-developer on charges of criminal negligence.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)