KAI tightens security to prevent vandalism<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
State-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia
\n(KAI) said on Friday it was tightening its security system across
\nJava to prevent rampant vandalism on trains traveling between
\nEast Java and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"We have deployed some 1,556 of our personnel to guard several
\nlocations prone to vandalism, as we do not want such actions to
\ndisturb our transportation system," Suhartono, spokesman for PT
\nKAI in the West Java city of Cirebon told The Jakarta Post on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
According to Suhartono, some 1,366 of the total 1,566 security
\nguards are employees of PT KAI, while the remaining 200 were
\nrecruited from other agencies.<\/p>\n
These personnel will be deployed at 34 railway stations at
\ncertain locations across West Java, he added.<\/p>\n
Suhartono said locations prone to vandalism were the railroads
\nfrom Cikampek station in Karawang regency to the Haurgeulis and
\nKertasemaya stations in Indramayu regency.<\/p>\n
According to PT KAI, acts of vandalism took place during the
\nfasting month of Ramadhan, injuring a number of train passengers.<\/p>\n
The latest incident took place on Dec. 10, in which Sariah, a
\n55-year old resident of Babakan village in Cirebon was seriously
\nwounded, when unidentified people hurled stones at a train in
\nIndramayu. The Tegalarum train was traveling from Jakarta to
\nTegal, Central Java.<\/p>\n
She sustained serious injuries to her face and hands and is
\nreceiving medical treatment at Cirebon Gunung Jati General
\nhospital.<\/p>\n
A similar incident occurred last month when a Senja Utama Solo
\ntrain and a Tasaka executive class train were traveling through
\nIndramayu from Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
"The vandals destroyed route signals which may have caused a
\ncollision. It was lucky that we were able to deal with it,"
\nSuhartono said.<\/p>\n
"Efforts to tighten security are also aimed at anticipating
\nthe peak of the influx of people returning from their hometowns
\nin Java to Jakarta after celebrating Idul Fitri," he said.<\/p>\n
The country's busiest period for post-Idul Fitri travel is
\nexpected to reach its peak on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n
Suhartono, nevertheless, brushed aside speculation that the
\nvandals had intended to ruin PT KAI's performance, but underlined
\nthat "the police should carry out a thorough investigation to
\ndetermine if there were certain motives behind the actions".<\/p>\n
Separately, Iskandar Abubakar, director general of land
\ntransportation at the Ministry of Transportation, asserted that
\nthe government needed to raise the state budget for railway
\ntransportation by up to 300 percent from the current Rp 60
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
According to Abubakar, the larger budget would be allocated to
\ndevelop railroad infrastructure in a attempt to curb the number
\nof train accidents.<\/p>\n
"In many collisions, including the recent accident of the
\nDwipangga express that killed six people while traveling from
\nSurakarta to Jakarta, it is not merely the fault of the train
\nengineer himself, but also due to the poor infrastructure,"
\nAbubakar said.<\/p>\n
Abubakar further cited certain modern countries that allocate
\na huge budget to develop the road and railway facilities.<\/p>\n
Fatal train accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, where
\nofficials frequently blame signal failures.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kai-tightens-security-to-prevent-vandalism-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}