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uthorities and relevant organizations across the country have been busy preparing for the mass exodus of people looking to celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns.

In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the police have prepared 1,500 personnel to secure the traffic during the Idul Fitri celebration, which is likely to occur on July 6. Personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI), Transportation Agency, Health Agency, National SAR Agency and state-run insurance company Jasa Raharja have also been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that no major problems arise during the exodus.

“The security operation is to be held under the code name Ramadniya Gatarin 2016 in NTB. It was officially launched on Thursday,” NTB Police’s spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Tribudi Pangastuti said, Friday.

Tribudi said 42 security posts had been established and spread throughout airports, seaports and bus terminals in Lombok and Sumbawa Islands.

In Yogyakarta, Gunungkidul Police prepared two teams for the specific task of tire wedging, directed to help vehicles that experience trouble along the regency’s winding and uphill road connecting Yogyakarta and Wonosari, the regency capital.

“This road is dangerous. Apart from being prone to accidents, such conditions cause traffic congestion,” Gunungkidul Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Nugrah Trihadi said.

Nugrah said that each team comprised of 10 personnel armed with thick wooden beams measuring
50 centimeters in length and 30-35 cm in width. The team has been put to work starting seven days prior to Idul Fitri and will continue to work the roads until seven days after the holiday.

In Surakarta, Central Java, Idul Fitri travelers began to crowd the local Tirtonadi bus terminal six days prior to the celebration, resulting in a 15 percent increase in the number of passengers, compared to the day earlier. Peak traffic is expected to occur two days prior to Idul Fitri.

As of 11 p.m. on Thursday the terminal had recorded that 1,746 buses had entered the city, carrying 17,500 passengers. The number of buses departing the city that same day totalled 1,659 and carried 13,023 passengers in total.

Head of Tirtonadi technical management unit, Eko Agus Susanto, said that passengers arriving in the city had mostly come from Jakarta, Bogor and Bandung. He said that most only stopped at the terminal in transit to their final destinations; Wonogiri, Karanganyar, Sragen, Purwodadi and cities in East Java.

Thousands of motorcycle travelers that signed up for the free transport provided by the Transportation Ministry are scheduled to enter Surakarta from Friday to Monday.

“Twenty eight trucks are scheduled to arrive in batches with five starting on Friday, each carrying 50 motorcycles,” head of Surakarta Transportation Communication and Informatics Agency, Yosca Herman Soedrajad, said, adding that the owners of the motorcycles would arrive the following day and would also be dropped at the Tirtonadi bus terminal.

“They will then continue to their respective destinations by motorcycle,” said Yosca, adding that they mostly came from Surakarta, Blora and Grobogan in Central Java and from Ngawi, Magetan and Pacitan in East Java.

The same travelers, he added, would be provided with free transport to return to Jakarta after Idul Fitri.

In Central Java, the Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Satkorwil Banser) provincial coordination unit deployed 5,000 personnel to help authorities secure the Idul Fitri mass exodus traffic along the province’s southern and northern routes.

“We have trained them in first aid and in the skills required to assist with traffic congestion,” said Satkorwil chairman Hasyim As’ari.

He said the personnel would be sent to one of 120 posts located across Central Java. They would be deployed at strategic locations and accident prone places, bus terminals, railway stations and at tourism sites along the routes.

“This has been an annual activity for us. This year we have chosen the theme ‘Istirahat untuk Selamat’ [Rest for Safety], aimed at helping the government and the people to deal with the problems that tend to emerge due to the mass exodus,” Hasyim said.
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Ganug Nugroho Adi in Surakarta and Agus Maryono in Banyumas contributed to this article.