Residents of Lalitpur’s Bakhundole area are living in fear after some houses sank on Friday night close to an apartment building construction site.

Panicked locals in the area have left their houses fearing further damage. They claim that some of their houses sank while others tilted due to ‘haphazard construction’ of the apartment. According to them, a few buildings have sunk up to the first floor and others have developed cracks in the walls.

They have accused the builder of not obtaining an approval from the authority and have sought an immediate action against those behind the ‘illegal’ construction.

Locals said they have no place to take shelter at the moment and demand that the authorities make necessary arrangements for them immediately.

The construction work has been halted for now.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Toshima Karki, who represents the Lalitpur-3 constituency, demanded that the construction company provide compensation to the displaced families.

After inspecting the area on Saturday morning, Karki urged the government to take strict action against the culprits.