KATHMANDU, Dec. 8 -- Residents and business owners in Hetauda have begun clearing debris left behind after the Road Division Office demolished structures encroaching upon the town's main thoroughfare as part of an ongoing road expansion project.

From early morning, locals and shopkeepers were seen sweeping away piles of bricks, rods, zinc sheets, furniture and other rubble that had been bulldozed onto the roadside. Many worked to dismantle remaining walls, remove shutters and clear scrap from the front sections of their homes and shops. With the front portions of several buildings demolished, residents have now turned to removing leftover debris and reconstructing structures within the mandated road limits.

On November 21, the Hetauda R...