GNIDA orders urgent road safety overhaul after Engineer's tragic death

The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has ordered an immediate overhaul of road safety measures across its jurisdiction in the wake of 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 directed officials to identify and promptly fill all potholes on or near roads and to mark accident-prone "black spots" without delay, according to an official statement issued Monday evening. He also instructed that essential safety measures, including directional signage, reflectors and barricading, be implemented on all roads within three days. The directions come in the wake of the January 16 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, triggering allegations of negligence and a statewide road safety drive ordered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Following the CEO's instructions, GNIDA held an online review meeting with Additional CEOs Srilakshmi VS and Sumit Yadav, General Manager A K Singh and officials from all work circles, the statement said. "All assistant managers, managers and senior managers have been directed to survey their respective areas, identify potholes, sharp turns and black spots, and ensure immediate corrective measures," it said, adding that officials have been given three days to complete the task. Teams from the authority's project department have begun field surveys to identify accident-prone locations. Measures underway include the installation of road markers, cat's eyes, reflective paint on central verge walls, barricades along open drains and speed breakers on link roads connecting to main arteries. Additional CEO Sumit Yadav inspected the 130-metre road and areas in Sectors 2 and 3, and warned strict action against work circles found negligent, the statement said. The authority has also directed its electrical engineering department to ensure proper street lighting on all roads, with testing of lights to be completed at the earliest. Builders have been instructed to strictly comply with safety norms at construction sites. Additional CEO Srilakshmi VS informed that 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 appealed to motorists to follow traffic rules.