Noida, Delhi's Janakpuri and now Rohini: Deaths due to civic negligence rising cause of concern

A27-year-old package railroad engineer died in jan when his gondola veered away the road and fell into a deep, water-filled excavation pit on a vacant plot in Noida. Jump to early February, when a 25-year-old man slipped into a pit dug for sewer repairs in Delhi’s Janakpuri and remained trapped for eight hours before dying, reportedly due to “asphyxiation”. Now, another case has emerged where a daily wage labourer lost his life after falling into an open manhole in Rohini’s Sector 32 in Delhi.These three recent deaths point to civic negligence, where open pits and uncovered manholes led to the deaths of people. In some cases, delayed responses have also raised concern, not only among authorities but also among some bystanders. In the Janakpuri case, one of the bystanders informed someone about the incident, but then left the scene with the man lying inside the pit.What is also concerning is that, after the Noida incident, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which was overseeing the sewer work in Janakpuri, issued an order on January 24 directing engineers and contractors to implement all safety measures. Yet, only days later, Kamal Dhyani, the 25-year-old man, fell into the same pit and died, indicating that the instructions were either ignored or not followed properly.Meanwhile, public outrage also appears to be rising, as people call for safer public spaces after the deaths of three individuals linked to negligence.Noida techie death: Yuvraj MehtaA 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, died after his car plunged into a water-filled pit on the intervening night of January 16-17 in Noida’s Sector 150.The postmortem report said that he suffered asphyxia due to ante-mortem drowning, which was followed by cardiac arrest and led to his death. The pit had been dug for the basement of an under-construction building. Police and officials estimated it to be more than 20 feet deep, while some assessments suggested it was nearly 50 feet deep.ALSO READ: Noida techie death | ‘Water too cold, there are iron rods’: Witnesses allege police inactionIt was filled with rainwater and, as mentioned in the FIR, had no visible barricades, warning signs or reflective markers, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.Soon after the crash, Yuvraj managed to get out of the sinking car and climb onto its roof. From there, he called his father, Raj Kumar Mehta, to inform him about what had happened. His father rushed to the location and kept calling out to his son as he searched in almost zero visibility.The family said Yuvraj stayed alive in the water for nearly two hours, shouting for help as more people gathered at the spot. His father claimed that while some bystanders stood by, others recorded videos on their phones, and no trained divers were sent during that critical period. Police officials, however, have firmly rejected allegations of inaction. They said ladders, ropes, a crane, searchlights, and a temporary boat were used, but the rescue was hampered by thick fog, darkness, and the depth of the water. Visibility also, they said, was “near zero”.Despite these measures, Yuvraj remained on the roof of the car for about 90 minutes before it eventually sank. His body was found hours later after a long search involving the fire department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police.Delhi biker death in Janakpuri: Kamal DhyaniA 25-year-old motorcyclist, Kamal Dhyani, died on February 6 after falling into a pit dug for construction work by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in the Janakpuri area.His body was found around 8 am on Friday by morning walkers. Eyewitnesses spoke of a chaotic scene, saying several people climbed down into the nearly 20-foot-deep pit to pull out the motorcycle, which was lying over the victim.ALSO READ | Delhi biker's body was in pit for nearly ‘8 hours’, 5 persons knew, none helpedA person briefed on the autopsy findings earlier told HT that the report suggests Dhyani died due to “asphyxiation” caused by “compression of chest” and “soil entering his mouth and nostrils”. Meanwhile, a preliminary inquiry by the Delhi Jal Board) pointed to several lapses, including poor public safety measures and negligence by contractors and supervising engineers. It found that the site was neither secured nor monitored.What was also concerning about this incident was that the man’s body remained in the pit for nearly eight hours, and several people who were aware of the incident did not inform the police or other authorities.Police said Dhyani fell into a 4.5-foot-deep pit at around 12:15 am on Friday while returning home to Kailashpuri after travelling roughly 20 km. He remained there for at least eight hours. The investigation showed that at least six people knew about the fall but did not alert the police at the time, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.In the aftermath of the incident, the Delhi government issued an eight-point safety directive aimed at preventing similar incidents. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta wrote on X that “instructions have been issued to all relevant departments to submit safety reports of all construction and excavation sites within three days.”Labourer death in Rohini: Birju KumarOnly a few days after the Janakpuri incident, the massive outrage against it, the action taken after the incident by the authorities and officials, a 30-year-old labourer died after falling into an open manhole maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in the Begumpur area of Delhi's Rohini.The deceased was identified as Birju Kumar, a daily wage labourer from Samastipur district in Bihar.An eyewitness who said he dialled 112 to inform the police told news agency ANI that the labourer had been lying in the pit since Monday. He claimed that the police arrived only after his call, even though the man’s friends had alerted authorities earlier. Meanwhile, police said they received information about a man falling into a drain at Begumpur police station at around 3 pm on Tuesday. Teams from the Delhi Police and the Delhi Fire Services reached the site, and Kumar was taken out of the sewer at around 9 pm. However, he was declared dead.According to police, the sewer is around 14 feet deep and is maintained by the DDA. Initial findings suggest the manhole was open at the time, though investigators are still looking into this point.A case has been registered under sections related to causing death by negligence.