LEBARAN EXODUS BEGINS THIS WEEKEND

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 4 (ANTARA) - The exodus of post-fasting Idul Fitri or Lebaran holiday travelers is expected to start this weekend as millions of Lebaran  revelers are to return to their hometowns for annual family reunions  during the holidays.          The start of the exodus could be observed with the increased activities at two ferry ports of Merak in the western tip of Java and of Gilimanuk in Bali.        On Saturday, about 300 private cars have begun to snake down in queue at ferry port of Merak in the run-nup to the holidays which begin next week.  Most of the private cars which packed the port until its parking lots came from Jakarta.          "I have been waiting for two hours. Seeing the length of the queue, possibly I will get my turn to embark on the next three ferry," Rusti, who drove a private car, said.          During the annual season of Lebaran holidays, millions of travelers cross the Sunda Strait through the Merak port in Java and the Bakauheni port in Sumatra.          Another passenger Achmad who was in queue with his family in a private car said they were not tired even if they were forced to stay in queue. "My wife and kids so far have no complaints but seemed to enjoy themselves when they looked at the beautiful night sea," he said.          He admitted however that in spite of the fact that they enjoyed the trip, they also had worries. "We are worried to hear news from colleagues that ferries being operated by the Merak port are over 30 years old," he said.          Based on data,  most of the 33 roll-on roll-off ferries to be operated for home ward Indul Fitri travelers are old ships with only a number of them are less than 15 years.          The data received from  PT ASDP Indonesia  Ferry showed that of the 33 ships under the firm at Merak port most were already old, or over 25 years, some others even almost reaching 40 years old.          The 33 old ferries which will serve millions of home-bound Lebaran travelers and vehicles from Java to Sumatra or the vise verse, included the Jatra I and Jatra II produced in 1980.          The others are Jatra III,1985, BSP I,1973, BSP II,1971, BSP III,1973, Bahuga Pratama, 1992, Bahuga Jaya,1987, Menggala, 1973, Mufidah,1979, Duta Banten, 1973, Jagantara, 1979, Nusa Dharma, 1986, Nusa Bahagia,1979, Victorius, 1990, Laut Teduh I, 1990, Musthika Kencana,1975, HM Baruna,1992, Tribuana, 1997 and Rajabasa I, 1990.          Besides that other old ferries are SMS Kartanegara,1984, Windu Karsa Dwita,1997, Windu Karsa Pratama,1993, Titian Nusantara,1995, Panorama Nusantara,1987, Royal Nusantara,1985, Prima Nusantara,1975, Mitra Nusantara,1997, Titian Murni,1985, Nusa Agung,1992, Nusa Jaya,1987, Nusa Mulia, 1992 and Nusa Setia, 1994.          Besides the increase in the number of private cars, the number of passengers traveling on public buses has also increased on Saturday.          Passengers have flocked to the ports since early in the morning on Saturday. The have to  stand in a long queue waiting for their turns in front of the ticket counters.          "I decide to depart earlier, not on the eve of the post-fasting Lebaran holidays. Thanks God, although I have to queue, I can get a ticket smoothly," Ridwan, a traveler from Bogor who was on his way to South Sumatra said.          Ridwan said after he was granted a leave from his office beginning last Friday, he prepared his departure with his wife and children. "Our trip from Bogor is also smooth," he said.          Ruminah (45), a resident from Bandung, West Java, said that he deliberately spent the night in the port and would embark on the ferry that would take him to Bakauheni port in Sumatra at 6 am.          He said he was traveling to Bengkulu province, and would not get a bus that would take him to Bengkulu if he had not delayed his departure until morning.          Head of the inland waterway company TP ASDP for Merak, Teja Suparna said that the flock of passengers on Saturday morning at the port was only the beginning of the Lebaran exodus this year.          "The number of passengers early on Saturday has increased significantly compared with that in the previous days," he said.          Increased flow of travelers on Saturday was also seen at Bali?s Gilimanuk ferry port which connect the tourist resort island with Java.           PT ASDP for Gilimanuk has put  24 of its 28 ferries into service to transport post-fasting month travelers whose number began to rise. The number of vehicles, particularly two-wheel vehicles, making the crossing to East Java's Ketapang port  was expected to reach over 5,000 on Saturday.          "Since yesterday, port activities have been increasing with the number of motorcycles ferried to Ketapang port recorded at 5,000 units," operations manager of inland waterway firm PT ASDP for Gilimanuk, Ospar Silaban, said .          He said the number of motorcycles using ferry services on Friday reached 5,000 units and on Saturday it was expected to exceed 5,000 units.  In an effort to anticipate a drastic increase, PT ASDP was operating 24 ferries of the 28 ships that had been made available.          He said that although there was an increase in the number of vehicles, yet it did not create a long queue. "There is no queue at present," he said.The increase also happened with private cars. Based on the experience in previous years Gilimanuk port would see the peak of activities on two to one days before the Idul Fitri D-Day on Friday.          Ospar called on travelers to conduct their Idul Fitri trips before the peak days in an effort to avoid traffic jams and long queues.          Millions of seasonal passengers travel to their home towns to have family reunions during the annual post-fasting Lebaran holidays.          During the Idul Fitri holiday season last year,  the number of home-bound travelers reached  about  27.25 million, of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motorcycles.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/15:23/A/O001) 04-09-2010 15:35