ISLAMABAD, March 25: Sindh has sought Rs3.7 billion special funding from the Centre to urgently rehabilitate the province’s weakening physical and social infrastructure.

Informed sources told this correspondent that Japan was expected to provide Rs3.4 billion to help build 452-kilometre-long new roads in Sindh. The basic objective is to open the province by maximum access.

The Sindh government has informed the federal authorities that the building of the roads will support rural transformation and extensive agriculture development by having improved farm to market roads. It will reduce transport cost to facilitate efficient movement of goods and passengers, enhance mobility of rural communities, including better access to health, education and social amenities.

Sindh has maintained that unemployment in its rural areas was prevalent, where a poor physical and social infrastructure existed. About 72 per cent of its population lives in the rural areas and most of them are directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for livelihood.

The construction of new roads, the Sindh government has stated, will create new job opportunities for rural men and women by enhancing the use of available inputs and services.

The market towns of the province have been linked with major cities through reasonably adequate roads. However, transport in the agricultural areas is seriously constrained by the absence or poor condition of road connections, resulting in high transport cost and low prices of products being offered to the farmers. Sindh has an area of about 140,914 square kilometres and an estimated population of 30.3 million.

The construction of new roads, the Sindh government believes, will eventually enhance the people’s level of thinking and educational standards, and thus will help increase political activities and awareness due to social inter-linking.