Even to buy vegetables residents have to go either to Janakpuri or Dabri Mor, a minimum of five kilometres from their homes. They say shifting into the area was a mistake. ``Had we purchased a house in Sitapuri, an unauthorised colony adjoining Dwarka, we would have been happier. The houses are bigger, better constructed and have running water and uninterrupted electricity. They also have street lights and roads,'' says Ruchi Gupta, a resident of pocket 2, sector 1.

``We repent having moved in here. Problems start from the point where it says Dwarka welcomes you. There are still no street lights, despite Union Minister Ram Jethmalani pulling up the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officers. After sundown, it's impossible to move around,'' Gupta adds.

DVB member (technical) Y P Singh is personally monitoring the electrification process in the sub-city but was unavailable for comment all day today.

``DVB officers travel in government cars and know little about the problems of the people. The buses leave you on the main road. Rickshaw pullers charge whatever they want to during the day and refuse to enter Dwarka after dark. It is a problem, especially in winter, because by the time one leaves office it is dark. At 7.00 p.m. there is nobody on the roads and it is unsafe for women,'' says Arpita Narula, a sales representative working in Connaught Place.

Narula's father drives down almost six kilometres to the Dwarka entry point after sundown to pick up his daughter. ``It is such a hassle. We still do not have running water. And we never know when the authorities will release water. (It depends on when the DJB tankers reach Dwarka). Life is full of these tensions waiting for water, coming home before sundown and so on. It is like living in a jungle,'' he says angrily.

Parents with young children say they avoid drinking Dwarka water. ``Why take a chance? We don't even know where it is coming from. I have a son who is less than two-years-old. There isn't even a medical institution here. So we get water from our parents' place in Hari Nagar,'' Gupta adds. A DDA official working on the Dwarka project, however, says it is a vicious circle. ``Nobody is shifting in here, so the businessmen are not keen to open shops or ply autorickshaws or taxis and therefore, the DVB is not giving priority to street lighting in some areas. And because of the lack of amenities, people are not shifting in here,'' he says.

``But by the turn of the century, the situation will improve and this will be a great place to live in,'' he adds.