NEW DELHI: For residents of Commonwealth Games Village, the state-of-the-art complex is but a white elephant, as they have to travel several kilometres for buying even their daily necessities. The reason: the shopping complex with 20-odd shops is closed due to a dispute between the Delhi Development Authority and Emaar MGF Construction Pvt Ltd.

The CWG Village Apartment Owners' Association has written several letters to DDA — which had sanctioned the project — over the last two years to make the shopping complex operational. But their requests have fallen on deaf ears.

"Close to 700 families live here, but they have to travel as far as Mayur Vihar to buy their basic necessities because there are no shops in the village," Bhushan Narula, president of CWGVAOA, told TOI. Narula said RWA had requested DDA to find a solution to the problem. "We don't even have a chemist shop here," said Narula, who recently wrote to DDA and the Union urban development ministry in this regard.

According to a senior DDA official, the shops are closed as Emaar MGF has challenged the authority's decision to take them over as penalty for excess construction. "The decision to take over the shops was taken at DDA's meeting in March last year. Delhi high court had stayed the matter as the decision was challenged by the project developer. The matter is sub-judice so we can't do anything," said a senior official.

DDA officials said that, till then, they had allowed a Mother Dairy outlet and a small shop to operate in the area. But residents say it's not enough. "Why should we suffer because of a dispute between DDA and the developer? We have paid for the flats. We should get all the facilities," said a resident.

The RWA has written to DDA, asking the land-owning agency to make the shopping complex functional.

"They can open an escrow account where the rent or auction money from shops can be deposited. The money can be given to the party in whose favour the court decides. Why should people suffer due to this?" said Narula. "We don't have grocery stores, laundry facility or a chemist shop, which are basic requirement for all residential societies," he said.