Jakartans enjoy deserted city for three days

The Jakarta Post ,  jakarta   |  Wed, 09/23/2009 12:18 PM  |  Headlines

Jakartans remaining in the capital city during Idul Fitri have enjoyed a deserted and traffic-free city for the past three days.

"Whoooho!! I love this city. This is the best Monday ever," Lisma, a motorcyclist, said while speeding up Jl. Jend. Sudirman on her motorcycle on Monday.

"I live in Slipi *West Jakarta* and my office is in Karet *South Jakarta*. It usually takes me more than 45 minutes to get to work on this street. But today, it only took 10 minutes," she told The Jakarta Post.

Like most of the streets in the city, Jl. Sudirman is usually bustling with thousands of motorcycles, cars and public buses emitting black smoke.

From Saturday to Tuesday, the streets became quiet and the air blissfully fresh as many people living in Jakarta returned to their hometowns to celebrate the Islamic holidays after a month of fasting.

Casablanca street in South Jakarta was also free of the thousands of cars that usually congest it on regular days.

An angkot driver heading toward Tanah Abang said the routes to the market were much calmer during the holidays. "It's a lot less stressful for me," he said.

The Jakarta Police's traffic management center (TMC) announced the streets would likely be back to the "normal" congestion levels again on Thursday.

Train stations, however, have remained lively.

"Many people are visiting their relatives in Bogor *West Java* to celebrate Idul Fitri, so we have more passengers today," said Slamet Sri Raharjo, a ticket officer at Tebet train station, South Jakarta.

Meanwhile, dozens of families in Jakarta were jolted out of Idul Fitri tranquility after their houses were razed by fire.

On Saturday night, a row of more than 20 houses, mostly empty, located on Jl. Kincir Raya in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, caught fire, 15 minutes before midnight, said the Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Chrysnanda Dwi Laksana.

The following day, in another dense residential area in Teluk Gong, North Jakarta, caught fire and damaged at least 40 houses that were occupied by 60 families, just after residents had performed Idul Fitri prayers in a nearby mosque, which was also reportedly damaged by the fire.

"Other residents in the area were celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns when the incident took place. We suspect the fire was due to a electricity short-circuit," said Maryadi, one of the residents. (bbs/dis)

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