s part of an effort to ease funeral transportation in the regency, Thousand Islands Regent Irmansyah said Tuesday that hearse boats to be procured next year would be designed to withstand sea waves.
“The boats will have locks to hold the coffin still on the waves,” Irmansyah said on Tuesday, adding that besides funeral transportation, the boats could also be used to remove bodies found in Thousand Islands waters.
"The boats will be designed specifically to suit the regency’s conditions, and they can accommodate the family of the person who passed away," Irmansyah said, as quoted by kompas.com.
The regency has requested such specially designed boats for years, as not all islands have public cemeteries and renting boats to transport bodies for funerals is expensive. Irmansyah noted that the designated cemeteries for residents of the islands of Pramuka and Panggang were located on Karya Island.
The regency plans to procure two hearse boats, each costing Rp 2 billion (US$147,983), one each for the southern and the northern area of the regency.
The regent aims for the procurement to take place by the end of the first quarter of 2018. In its draft budget for next year, the Jakarta administration has allocated Rp 5.85 billion for the procurement of the two vessels. (rdi)
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