The Nepal Weekly 
April 11, 2023
Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) takes action against billionaire Chaudhary for illegal construction that led to collapse of half a dozen buildings at Sanepa
Lalitpur Metropolitan City has initiated legal action against Binod Chaudhary, the only billionaire of Nepal for digging land illegally to build multi-story building at Sanepa-Bakhundol area in Lalitpur that has severely damaged at least half a dozen buildings in the area.
The Lalitpur Metropolis has halted the construction works being carried out by Summit Hotel Apartments owned by Nepal’s top industrialist Chaudhary and three other smaller groups after the construction works led to strong jolt in the area damaging completely two residential buildings and developing cracks in six other buildings at Sanepa-Bakhundol area of Lallitpur. It was like a powerful earthquake for the residents of the locality, who left their house on Friday itself following the digging of the land in the site.
The Apartments was digging some 30 feet below the ground for the construction of the multi-story building in the area. Although some nearby buildings were damaged by the construction no human causality occurred in the incident.
“We have halted the construction works being carried out by Chaudhary Group after some houses nearby were collapsed,” said Manjali Shakya Bajracharya, Deputy Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolis.
The LMC has formed a ten member committee headed by Deputy Mayor Bajracharya to investigate into the matter. “We have asked the Chaudhary Group to immediately halt the construction work and provide compensation to the affected house owners immediately,” she said.
The Apartments neither took permission from the Metropolis nor did it conducted environmental impact assessment before starting the construction works, said Dev Prasad Guragain, information officer at the Lalitpur Metropolis.
“We have initiated legal action against Chaudhary Group and its associates for illegally carrying out the construction works without our permission and the group will have to pay compensation to the affected people, whose houses were completely or partially damaged,” he informed. For the time being Rs. 10 million has been provided to the affected families as immediate relief by taking money from the Apartments, he added. The amount of compensation will be fixed once the committee submits its report after conducting assessment, said Guragain.
