Panggang Islet remains isolated

Panggang Islet remains isolated

The people of Pulau Panggang and its neighboring islets remain isolated from Jakarta due to a lack of transportation.

The boats which connect the islets with the city depart from Muara Karang harbor in North Jakarta without a schedule because they wait for enough passengers before departing, the area chief, Machbub Sanadi, said as quoted by Turbot daily yesterday.

The islets, which are members of the Seribu Islands group, comprise Pulau Panggang, Pulau Pramuka and Pulau Karya. The islets's population of 3,687 work mostly as fishermen.

The chief said that boat operators try to charge passengers as much as Rp 100,000 for a return trip.

Machbub expects the city administration to overcome the transportation problem in order to sell the islets as a tourist destination.

He said that the islets are beautiful enough to attract visitors. (tis)