IDUL FITRI TRAVELERS WITNESS SMOOTH IMPLEMENTATION OF "MUDIK" By Fardah

Jakarta, July 6 , 2017 (Antara) - Thanks to good cooperation among government institutions and other relevant stakeholders, this year's homebound exodus of millions of Indonesian Muslims celebrating Idul Fitri Islamic Festivities, locally called Lebaran, ran smoothly and safely.
    Most Indonesian Muslims follow the tradition of going back to their hometowns to celebrate Lebaran. As a result, there is an exodus of travelers, particularly from cities to villages, during this time of the year.

         The number of homebound travelers this year was estimated to reach over 19 million, up from 17,698,484 in 2016, and from 17,404,575 in 2015.

         To ensure people's safety during the exodus, more than 170 thousand police and military personnel were deployed for Ramdaniya Operation carried out from June 19 to July 4, 2017.

         The Transportation Ministry had carried out the checking of public vehicles' worthiness in various regions, while the National Narcotic Agency (BNN), with the support of local police and transportation offices, had conducted urine tests on drivers to make sure they were free of narcotics. Those measures were considered necessary to prevent traffic accidents.

         Relevant ministries and stakeholders had made their utmost efforts to provide smoother, safer, and more comfortable trips during the post-fasting Lebaran exodus optimally, in accordance with instructions given by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) earlier.

         Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan lauded the sound coordination among the Police, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, as well as state oil and gas company Pertamina to provide services and facilities for the travelers.

         Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi earlier expressed his appreciation and gratitude to all stakeholders who had helped smooth mudik implementation.

         "Based on the overall evaluation, thank God, the traffic flow has been good, although certain areas still needed improvement," he stated at Poncol railway station here on Thursday.

         He added that the time and pattern of homecoming management by travelers must be reviewed and improved.

         Rest areas and parking lots for Eid travelers in several locations must be developed to assure comfortable rest for motorists, he noted.

         "Coordination among national and regional agencies must be further improved through good communication to create a good homecoming pattern," he stressed.

         The National Police Headquarters had earlier revealed that the number of people killed in traffic accidents during the Idul Fitri homebound period in 2017 fell significantly as compared to the same period last year.

         "The number of deaths dropped by 42 percent," National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian had stated at the National Police Headquarters.

         He remarked that the Idul Fitri mudik this year was better as compared to the previous year.

         He attributed the smooth flow of traffic to the Brebes-Gringsing emergency toll road and four flyovers in Brebes and Tegal, Central Java, becoming operational.

         The government has built an additional road and a flyover to address the Brebes toll exit (Brexit) traffic jam.

         "I express my gratitude to all parties, including the National Police, Transportation Ministry, and National Defense Forces. Our special thanks also goes out to the Public Works and Housing Ministry for his steps to open the 110-kilometer Brebes-Gringsing toll section, which is very helpful to overcome congestion," he explained.

         He pointed out that the inbound (reverse flow) trip of Idul Fitri travelers this year is also better than in the previous year.

         "Congestion during the reverse flow was observed in Cipali, Cikampek, Nagrek, and Gentong, but the traffic relatively moved and was not stuck," he said.

         The number of people killed in traffic accidents during the Idul Fitri homecoming period in 2017 fell significantly as compared to the same period last year, according to him.

         "The number of deaths dropped by 42 percent," Tito Karnavian stated on July 3.

         He said the Idul Fitri homecoming exodus this year was better than that in the previous year.

         "Admittedly, there were traffic jams, but none of them lasted for hours," he noted.

         In West Java Province, for instance, traffic accidents during the Idul Fitri holiday season dropped by 47 percent this year, as compared to that in the same period last year.

         The number of casualties in traffic accidents was also down by 68 percent, he said while monitoring the traffic flow of inbound, or reverse flow of homebound travelers in Cileunyi, earlier.

         The number of serious injuries decreased by 20 percent and minor injuries, by 52 percent.

         The West Java Police has recorded a total of 52 traffic accidents on June 19-29, down as compared to 137 in the same period last year.

         The number of casualties was nine, a decrease from 42 in the same period in 2016.

         According to the police's data, 28 people were serious injured, as compared to 53 in 2016 and 78 slightly wounded as against 212 in 2016 in traffic accidents during the current holiday season.

         In Central Java, the number of traffic accident during the holiday season fell 36 percent compared to that of the same period last year, Central  Java Police Chief Inspector Condro Kirono said.

         "During Idul Fitri 2017, 292 traffic accidents were recorded, while last year the number was 457. Thus it decreases 36 percent," he said to reporters while monitoring the traffic condition in Security Post of Operation Ramadniya Candi 2017 in Banyumas Police,  Ajibarang, Banyumas, on July 2.

         During this year's Idul Fitri holiday season, the traffic accidents claimed 20 lives, down from 28 lives in the same period last year.

         The accidents seriously injured 40 people, a decrease from 44, and slightly wounded 428 others, down from 653 victims in the previous year.

         Meanwhile, Ellen Sophie Wulan Tangkudung, of the University of Indonesia (UI), stated in Jakarta that the Transportation Ministry had done a good job in handling the implementation of Idul Fitri exodus.

         "Traffic congestion was seen, but it was not severe. The Transportation Minister himself frequently went to the field to monitor the implementation of mudik this year," Tangkudung remarked on July 4.

        The ministry had made good coordination with other stakeholders in the transportation sector in cities and villages, Tangkudung, who is concurrently chairperson of the Jakarta Urban Transportation Council, noted.
   "Excellent coordination during Ramdaniya Operation 2017 has enabled quick response to every problem," she added, while thanking every personnel of the transportation ministry and related stakeholders as well as the media.

         She believed that coordination was the key to smooth implementation of this year's mudik.

         She also lauded the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, the Health Ministry, and the Police for actively supporting the Transportation Ministry in securing and managing the exodus.

         The member of the Indonesian Transportation Community Honorary Council (MTI) suggested that next year, the government should pay more attention to the implementation of mudik outside Java Island, such as in Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Kalimantan.

         "Our brothers and sisters outside Java should also be given attention," she pointed out, adding that the government should provide more means of transportation for those heading toward their hometowns via land, sea, or air transportation modes. ***1***
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(T.SYS/B/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 06-07-2017