August 23, 2011
While millions of Jakarta area residents make their annual trek home for Idul Fitri, those left behind can enjoy what many say is the capital at its best — quiet and traffic-free.
The holiday is a time of celebration, but it also comes with many logistical decisions and concerns for both those who plan to stay and those who plan to go.
For instance, while the lighter traffic is a pleasant change, the exodus also turns Jakarta into a ghost town with food hawkers, vegetable sellers and other ambulant traders missing from their usual rounds.
And so many people head off to parks and other recreation areas.
The National Monument Park, or Monas, is expecting about 8,000 visitors per day during the holidays, said Rini Hariyani, who heads the monument management’s technical execution unit.
The number of visitors usually peaks on the second and third day of Idul Fitri, she said.
Getting around town and to the capital’s famous recreation spots shouldn’t be a problem. The TransJakarta busway will continue to run at modified hours, said Muhammad Akbar, who heads its general service unit.
“But on the first day we will only start operating at 9 a.m. as we are providing time for our workers to take part in the Idul Fitri prayers first,” Akbar said. “On the second day and after that, the operational hours will be as normal.”
He said more buses would also be added to three busy routes leading to popular locations during the festivities — Ancol and the Pluit district in North Jakarta, and Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.
But on the eve of Idul Fitri, TransJakarta will only operate until 6:30 p.m. After that, the city’s streets will become crowded with people celebrating the end of the fasting month.
TransJakarta will also open a “tourist route” to help people enjoy the city’s tourist sites. The temporary line will link Ragunan with the National Monument in Central Jakarta.
“This special route will not only be limited to Jakarta residents but will be available to people from outside the city who come to holiday in Jakarta,” he said.
For some residents, the biggest downside to spending the holiday in the capital is having to perform menial housework. Domestic workers are usually among those who return home at the end of the fasting month, leaving their employers without help unless they opt to hire part-time replacements at much higher fees.
For those who intend to leave the city, Governor Fauzi Bowo offered words of caution.
“We are trying to prevent fires,” he said. “Owners should not leave their homes without first turning off the electricity to prevent short circuits that could start fires.”
Eddy Putranto, the secretary of the city’s fire and disaster mitigation office, said that as of Tuesday, there had been 556 fires across the city this year, with 358 caused by short circuits.
Fauzi called on those staying in the city to keep a watchful eye. “We should provide a sense of security and safety for those who leave their homes,” he said.
“Safeguarding the neighborhood, or the houses of our neighbors who have left for their hometowns, is part of the religious observance.”
(x the JG)
di 23 aug 2011 - 21:47