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Faster Idul Fitri bonus disbursement leads to smoother exodus: Govt
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Motorists drive along the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road in Bekasi, West Java, during the Christmas holiday in December 2017. (Antara/Risky Andrianto)
T
he Transportation Ministry is pushing companies to immediately disburse the Idul Fitri bonus (THR) to employees to ease traffic congestion during the holiday’s mass exodus.
Head of the communications and information division of the ministry's land transportation directorate, Pitra Setiawan, said on Wednesday that based on past experience, many people preferred to wait until they had received their THR before traveling home.
The ministry has predicted that the peak of the exodus this year will be one to three days before Idul Fitri, which will fall on June 15 and 16.
Pitra said delaying the disbursement of the bonus would discourage workers from going home earlier and worsen traffic as Idul Fitri approaches.
"We have asked the Manpower Ministry to monitor companies that have yet to disburse the THR," Pitra said.
Read also: Don’t give Idul Fitri bonus to mass organizations, Jakartans told
More than 110,000 cars are predicted to leave Jakarta every day during the peak season, nearly twice as many as regular days.
To ease the possible gridlock, the ministry has issued a decree that prohibits cargo trucks from using several toll roads, including the busy Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, during the peak days, with some exceptions.
The government has decided to extend the Idul Fitri holiday to 10 days, from June 11 to 20, from the previous seven days.
During the period, the odd-even license plate policy, which is implemented at several toll gates linking Jakarta to its peripheral areas, would not be applied.
The policy will resume one week after Idul Fitri. (wit)
