Jakartans return to their routines

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's social and business routines began to return to normal on Monday as heavy traffic was observed throughout the city and offices have been swarmed by returning employees.

Crowds of students, who have just resumed school after a 40- day Ramadhan and Idul Fitri hiatus, have been seen again in the city's streets and shopping centers.

Traffic was busy especially along the streets where schools were located, including along Central Jakarta's Jl. Gereja Theresia and Jl. Menteng Raya.

Traffic jams were also observed along Jl. Agus Salim in Central Jakarta, popularly known as Jl. Sabang, home to dozens of restaurants. Vehicles queued in long lines where the streets were obstructed by parked vehicles during lunch time.

Similar conditions were found at the city's other mayoralties, including along Jl. Bumi, Jl. Ciputat Raya and Jl. Arteri Pondok Indah in South Jakarta; Jl. Salemba Raya, Jl. Matraman Raya and Jl. Bekasi Raya in East Jakarta; and North Jakarta's Jl. Yos Sudarso and Jl. Enggano.

Several private companies and government offices also resumed their full operations on Monday.

An employee at a cosmetics company in the Pulo Gadung Industrial zone in East Jakarta, who spoke under conditions of anonymity, said the company actually granted its employees a five-day holiday for Idul Fitri.

"Employees were supposed to come to the office on Friday, but some of my colleagues continued their holidays until Sunday," she said.

Operations resumed throughout's the city's government offices, including the Menteng district office in Central Jakarta. A staff person at the office, Syachroni, said all employees were in on Monday.

"People also started today to look for our public services," he said.

Meanwhile, the owner of a restaurant on Jl. Sabang, Wiryadi, said he could only resume business on Sunday after all of his employees returned from their holidays.

"Two of my five employees are newcomers. They will replace their colleagues who are getting married soon.

"I ask my employees to provide their own replacements for after their marriage," he said.

It has become common that newcomers, mostly of low income groups, flock to the capital after the Idul Fitri celebrations.

Although they realize that life in the city is no longer easy, especially after the prolonged economic crisis, the newcomers still have big hopes that life will be better here.

The exact number of newcomers this year has not yet been recorded, but the city administration predicts that it will be around 200,000. The number of people leaving the city in the Idul Fitri exodus was estimated at about two million.

On Monday, the city was colored by uniformed students as several schools had fully resumed their activities.

Several students of SMPN 12 junior high school in South Jakarta were sitting together at the Blok M park during school hours.

"We want to just walk around here because the class has been over before the official school hour at 5:15 p.m.," a student, Andrian Rahmat, said. (ind)