President orders evaluation of Idul Fitri exodus management

Cikampek, NU Online
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered related parties to totally evaluate the handling of this year`s exodus of Idul Fitri travelers.

The comprehensive evaluation was needed to improve services and ways of handling the annual exodus of millions of people to their hometowns during the Idul Fitri holiday season.<<>br />
President Yudhoyono issued the order when inspecting a command post of those monitoring the flows of Idul Fitri travelers on their return to Jakarta at the Cikopo Cikampek tollgate here Friday.

The Head of State said the outcome of the evaluation was expected to enable related stakeholders to improve the quality of services for Idul Fitri travelers in the coming years.

Building sound infrastructure that could support increasing number of cars was part of the government`s focuses in the thorough and comprehensive evaluation, he said.

"Once this year`s exodus season is over, please evaluate it soon to better the handling of this annual phenomenon," he said adding that the needed infrastructure should be built from now.

At the occasion, West Java Police Chief Inspector General Sutarman said traffic congestions during the Idul Fitri holiday season could be resolved by immediately building the needed infrastructures.

Some areas that were prone to traffic blocks were the Jomin and Sukamandi intersections. Therefore, to smooth the flows of travelers` vehicles through Cikopo toll gate, a flyover needs to be built, he said.

Traffic congestion frequently occurred in the Nagreg hinterland. The problem could be solved by building a tunnel there, Sutarman said.

The flows of vehicles passing the southern trans-Java roads had increased by up to 30 percent compared to last year`s condition during this year`s Idul Fitri holiday, he said.

The increase was much higher than that on the northern trans-Java highway, whose increase only reached about nine percent, he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said related authorities in the central and regional governments should work hand-in-hand to handle this annual exodus professionally.

Over the past three days, at least 30,000 cars had come to Jakarta through Cikopo toll gate in Cikampek, West Java.

This year`s Idul Fitri festivities, the number of travelers going to their home towns by motorcycle from Jakarta was expected to reach 3.6 million.

The total number of Jakartans traveling to their home towns during the end of Ramadan fasting month`s festivities was expected to reach 15 million people.

Majority of the Idul Fitri holiday makers in Indonesia went to the cities in the islands of Java and Sumatra.

Idul Fitri is celebrated by Muslims all over the world after performing 30-day-long fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

This year`s Idul Fitri festivities fell on September 10. (ant/dar)