Greater Noida Authority orders road safety overhaul after techie’s death

The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has ordered an immediate overhaul of road safety measures across its jurisdiction following the death of a software engineer in neighbouring Noida after his car plunged into a water-filled pit.

GNIDA chief executive officer N.G. Ravi Kumar on Monday directed officials to urgently identify and fill all potholes on or near roads and to mark accident-prone “black spots” without delay, according to an official statement issued in the evening. He also instructed that essential safety infrastructure — including directional signboards, reflectors and barricades — be installed on all roads within three days.

The directive follows the 16 January incident in Noida’s Sector 150, where a 27-year-old software engineer died after his vehicle fell into an unbarricaded, water-filled excavation near an under-construction site. The incident triggered allegations of negligence and prompted chief minister Yogi Adityanath to order a statewide road safety drive.

Following the CEO’s instructions, GNIDA held an online review meeting with additional CEOs Srilakshmi V.S. and Sumit Yadav, general manager A.K. Singh, and officials from all work circles. During the meeting, officers were told to conduct immediate surveys of their respective areas.

“All assistant managers, managers and senior managers have been directed to identify potholes, sharp turns and accident-prone black spots and ensure immediate corrective measures,” the statement said, adding that officials have been given a three-day deadline to complete the task.

Teams from GNIDA’s project department have already begun field inspections to identify hazardous locations. Ongoing measures include installing road markers and cat’s eyes, applying reflective paint on central verge walls, placing barricades along open drains, and constructing speed breakers on link roads connecting to major arterial routes.

Additional CEO Sumit Yadav inspected the 130-metre road stretch and surrounding areas in Sectors 2 and 3, warning that strict action would be taken against work circles found negligent, the statement added.

The authority has also instructed its electrical engineering department to ensure proper street lighting across all roads, with testing of lighting systems to be completed at the earliest. Builders have been directed to strictly adhere to safety norms at construction sites.

Additional CEO Srilakshmi V.S. said all work circles would be required to submit affidavits certifying that safety measures had been implemented at accident-prone locations in their respective areas. She added that the project department was taking all necessary steps to prevent road accidents and urged motorists to follow traffic rules.

With PTI inputs