JACOBABAD, April 23: The government is taking special steps to bring backward areas on a par with other developed areas, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said on Wednesday.

He was speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Dera Allahyar-Jacobabad bypass at Dera Allahyar, 26kms away from here.

Emphasising on the government’s belief in taking practical steps, Prime Minister Jamali said that his government did not rely on hollow slogans as had been done by the past governments.

Maintaining that his government was committed to the progress and development of the country, the prime minister said that within a short span of time, the amount of work accomplished by his government surpassed the achievements of the previous governments.

Mr Jamali said that his government had done much despite economic and political restraints as well as the fast changing international scenario.

He told the audience that the construction of the bypass would reduce the long and cumbersome distance between Dera Allahyar and Jacobabad, adding that it would also enhance the transit trade.

The prime minister said roads from Sukkur to Sibi had been widened and added that the Motorway Police would be deployed between Dera Allahyar and Sibi, adding that they had been provided with 15 vehicles as well as posting of experienced personnel.

On the occasion, communication secretary Iftikhar Rasheed said that the 26-kilometre-long bypass would be constructed within the next 26 months at a cost of Rs45 million.

The prime minister was accompanied by the Chairman of the Senate, Mohammedmian Soomro, Governor of Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad, Chief Minister of Balochistan, federal and provincial ministers, on the occasion.