Bhaktapur, January 6 Almost all road widening projects launched by the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur remain stalled due to non-cooperation by the locals. Work on expansion of the road stretch from Chardobato to Siddhikali Chowk in Madhyapur Thimi was halted due to protest by locals. A budget of Rs 66.2 million was allocated for the project. “Locals obstructed the authorities from demolishing houses built by encroaching on the road. The proposed length of the road is 1,100 meters and its width 11 meters,” said chief of the division office Guru Prasad Adhikari. A total of 11 private houses and one government school building have been constructed illegally along the road stretch. Likewise, 16 electric poles and 11 telephone poles need to be removed for expansion of the road section. Similarly, Chardobato-Balkot road widening project remains halted for the past two years due to obstruction from the locals. Expansion of the road was expected to be completed at the cost of Rs 15.75 million. In the beginning, there was an agreement to widen the road up to 10 metres but it was limited to eight meters, bearing in mind the concern of locals. “The project remains halted due to non-cooperation by some locals,” said Adhikari, adding that the budget released for the project would be frozen if it was further delayed. Similarly, expansion of the seven kilometre Bahakha Bazar- Bode-Mulpani road section has come to a halt as locals obstructed demolition of illegal structures. The Office of Urban Development Commissioner and Building Construction has marked houses that need to be demolished for expansion of the roads in Bhaktapur. Over 50 houses need to be demolished in order to expand the roads.