MANILA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help improve the living standards of the rural population of Uttaranchal through a loan of 550 million U.S. dollars to upgrade the Indian state's roads, an ADB report said on Friday.

    Nearly one third of Uttaranchal's main roads and almost three quarters of the other district and village roads under the jurisdiction of the state Public Works Department need to be repaired or upgraded, said the report.

    Poor surface condition, coupled with excessive narrowness over hilly terrain, seasonal blockages at high altitude and ever increasing traffic flow are causing a decline in the speed and reliability of transport services.

    The resulting delays are limiting the growth of the agriculture sector, which contributes about one third of the state's net domestic product and employs more than half of the workforce. The tourism industry, which depends heavily on visitors to some of the country's most revered shrines, is also suffering because of the lack of year-round access.

    To address these deficiencies and spread the benefits of growth more evenly throughout the state, Uttaranchal has drafted a Road Development Plan that will cost an estimated 1.2 billion U.S. dollars to carry out over 10 years, the ADB said.

    "The roads to be improved are spread over all 13 districts of the state and will be accessible to about 3.5 million people living in nearby villages," said Prianka Seneviratne, ADB team leader for the project.

    "Over time, they will benefit from a gradual speeding up of travel time, an easing of vehicle operating costs, and creation of hundreds of thousands of hours of labor work," said Seneviratne.¡¡