Life in the 100-year-old Metropolitan Building is proving to be a never-ending nightmare for its 300-odd residents. The imposing 'heritage building' at Chowringhee has no electricity, no water for one week now. And the lifts, in the five-storeyed building which is being given a fresh coat of paint, are also not in operation. The cause of the misery at the Metropolitan: theft of a cable that runs through an electrical installation inside the building, on April 18. The same evening, the CESC inspection team informed the residents of the building, owned by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LICI), that 'it was a cable fault as there was no problem at the supply end.' Nothing has been done to restore electric supply to the building ever since. On Monday, R.D.Sharma, secretary, Metropolitan Building Tenants Society, said: 'Since April 18 we have met various officers of LICI, but to no avail. If this continues for one more day, we will go mad.' An elderly lady teacher who has lived in the building for the past 33 years added: 'I have to pay Rs 10 for a bucket of water as the pump is not working. And from the evening, there is nothing to do but wait in the dark.' The building has been under LICI control ever since it bought Metropolitan Insurance in 1956. It has about 28 flats, comprising 60 rooms, three lifts and five staircases. It houses the Cottage Industries Emporium, the Cauvery (arts and crafts showroom of Karnataka), the exhibition and sales room of Birla Corporation, the Metropolitan Photographic store, and several individual tenants. A.K. Ghatak, assistant general manager of Central Cottage Industries Emporium, said: 'We are suffering a loss of Rs 1 lakh daily, as we cannot attend to our customers.' 'This situation almost seems unreal, as if we are back in the Dark Ages. How long can we carry on like this?' demanded an official at Cauvery. R.D. Sharma, 72, has not been able to leave his third-floor flat for days. 'I live with my two sons, their wives and children. But due to the horrible situation here, I have sent them over to a relative's place,' he said. An LICI official, when contacted on Monday evening, said: 'It will take time to restore power in that building. As it is a technical problem, we cannot say how much time it will take.' But for the residents of Metropolitan Building, patience, if not time, is fast running out.