India, Oct. 14 -- A day after the Delhi High Court's deadline to vacate Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar expired, chaos unfolded on Monday as authorities cut off water and electricity to the remaining residents.

Dozens of residents, many with their belongings half-packed, pleaded with officials for a few days' reprieve. "There are around 50 families. Some were about to leave in four or five days, others after Diwali," said Roopesh Kukreja, a resident of flat B-802.

To be sure, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had warned residents in the last week of September that all essential services would be disconnected from October 13. The move followed a long legal battle over the crumbling complex -- developed by the Delhi Develo...