"Overall, ministers have reported the readiness of all services needed by travelers, including infrastructural facilities, who will go to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr holidays. This is expected to be better than last year`s services," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said here on Friday.
He said that preparations for travelers going hometowns (mudik) and for their return later from the festivities had been made in a number of sectors such as transportation, food, infrastructural facilities and health services.
"The number of travelers using private vehicles is expected to decline this year, despite the fact that travelers will increase in numbers. This is a consequence of the increase in the air and train transportation services," the minister said.
Hatta said one interesting thing was that the number of parties organizing free transportation for travelers was also increasing this year.
Almost all big companies and several political parties organized free of charge mudik programs for thousands of travelers.
With regard to the infrastructure, the coordinating minister for economic affairs said that highways in Sumatra and Java were also now ready for use.
"The readiness of roads is far better (this year than last year`s). This means that the infrastructural conditions this year are better than those of last year," he said.
He said that road sections which were predicted to hamper traffic flow had also been repaired by the ministry of public works.
The minister said that the authorities had improved the conditions of not only roads in Java but also in Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.
He said that road repair had been conducted on Sumatra`s eastern lane with a length of 2,756 km, on the middle lane with a length of 2,400 km and on the western lane that stretched 2,490 km long.
"In Java, the 1,182 km northern coast road, which is predicted to remain as the most busy lane, has also been be repaired. The same repair has also been done on the central lane which stretched 1,056 km," the minister said.
Repair is also made on Java`s southern main lane which has a total length of 3,508 km. Toll roads which will be used in Java have a length of 668 km. There are also alternative roads with a total length of 2,230 that could be used by Eid al-Fitr traveler.
"Damaged roads in Kalimantan, particularly in South and East Kalimantan, have also been repaired and widened. However, our attention remained focused on Java because most of Eid al-Fitr travelers are flowing to Java from Sumatra and Kalimantan," Hatta Rajasa said.
(A014/F001)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
