The children who died belonged to a jhuggi cluster at Bharat Vihar, Kakrola village. They are Rahul, Radha, Pandeshree and Javed. Apart from these victims, there are at least 20 other children who have either fever or rashes and blisters all over their body.

Kanya, the mother of three-year-old Deepa, who died this afternoon, said: ``Deepa had an attack of vomiting and severe stomach upset last night. This morning, the condition turned serious and we rushed her to DDU hospital. However, she died before we could reach the hospital.''

It is a tale that finds an echo in a lot of homes. Stony-faced parents carrying emaciated children are a common sight and there are several who have lost one child and are now nursing another. Harshi Ram, whose two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Nehadied on July 23, says: ``Despite getting her admitted in the hospital, we could not save her. Now my son, Afsan is undergoing treatment for gastroenteritis. He is stable now but the doctors have asked us to continue the medication and bring him back if there is any problem.''

Similarly, Sushila, who lost her nine-month-old daughter Laxmi, ten days ago, has another sick child in the family. ``My two-year-old son Vinayak and I both have the same problem. We have already spent Rs 2,500 on medicines. I do not know the cause because the doctors just give us medicine and ask us to come again if there is any problem. But the general living conditions are very bad here.''

The tenements in Bharat Vihar came up only a month ago, when the government moved the slum dwellers from a spot in C2-KB block in Janakpuri. At present there are nearly 1,000 jhuggis in the area. The residents point out that they were forced to move during the monsoons and that too in an area, where they have to live in squalid conditionswithout electricity and running water.

Lack of any other supply of water has left the slum dwellers completely dependent on the water tankers. Another resident Munni Devi says: ``The water has a foul smell and yesterday we found a dead snake in the water. However, in this remote area we have no other way to get water, so we drink what we get.''

Meanwhile, mobile toilet vans were today set-up in the area and work on the installation of electricity poles also began.

Taking up cudgels on behalf of the residents, Mukesh Sharma, MLA of neighbouring Hastasal constituency is sitting on an indefinite dharna in the area till the government provides them with the basic amenities. ``I want a judicial inquiry into the matter. The government should also give Rs 1 lakh as compensation to families of the victims,'' he said.

He also got a team of five doctors with him, who have set-up a temporary clinic in the area, administering glucose and medicines to the patients. The doctors present at the spot said thatthey had administered treatment for gastroenteritis to 125 residents of the area till evening.