Traffic rerouting in Pondok Gede
Road users other than would-be pilgrims or their escorts are advised to take Jl. Jatiwaringin or Jl. Hankam instead of the overcrowded Jl. Pondok Gede which is home to the Pilgrim Hostel (Asrama Haji).
Would-be pilgrims and friends coming from Jl. Raya Bogor are asked to use Jl. Pondok Gede, and to avoid the outer ring roads, the Ceger intersection and Jl. Hankam TMII.
Officials hope this will reduce traffic jams around the hostel, which are common during departures and arrivals of pilgrims.
Pilgrims are scheduled to depart from the hostel from April 15 to 20 and are expected to return between April 25 and 30.
The announcement was made yesterday by J.P. Sepang, the head of the City Land Transportation and Traffic Control Office. (06)
Jakarta to host volley ball games
Jakarta will host an international volley ball tournament on June 16 to 22 in the Istora Senayan sport hall, South Jakarta, Robert P. Silalahi, the head of the intercity and interprovince cooperation bureau, announced yesterday.
Teams to take part in "The First Jakarta Cup Sister Cities Volleyball Tournament" include student teams from nine cities in eight countries.
The competing teams to play in Group A will be Los Angeles, Jakarta A, New South Wales, Casablanca and Tokyo.
Members of Group B are Jakarta B, Arkansas, Amsterdam, Seoul and Berlin. (06)
Japan helps medical center
Minister of Health Sujudi inaugurated the National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases (NAMCID) at Sunter yesterday.
According to Sujudi, the center is expected to provide not only clinical services for the public but also training, research and relevant information to professionals.
Governor of Jakarta Soerjadi Soedirdja as well as Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kimio Fujita also attended the opening ceremony.
A statement from the Japanese embassy faxed to The Jakarta Post says that the construction of the center has been completed with a Japanese grant amounting to Rp 51.5 billion (approximately US$ 24 million). (09)
Agribusiness for Jakarta farmers
The Jakarta administration is urging its farmers to aim their work at growing decorative plants, orchids and tropical fishes, rather than crops.
Deputy-governor TB Rais said on Wednesday in a meeting with farmers at Rawa Belong, West Jakarta, that Jakarta's farming plots are too small for growing crops.
"It won't give enough benefit," Rais was quoted by Antara as saying.
He said that economically commodities such as decorative plants and tropical fishes have more promising values than crops.
The West Jakarta mayor said that there are currently around 11,000 farmers in his mayoralty. (09)
New one-way traffic in West Jakarta
In a bid to handle the congestion on Jl. Tanjung Duren Utara VIII and Jl. Jembatan Besi XII in West Jakarta, the city administration will introduce one-way traffic at those areas.
Head of the Jakarta chapter of the Ministry of Transportation J.P. Sepang said yesterday that the new one-way regulation would be partly imposed on both Jl. Tanjung Duren Utara VIII and Jl. Jembatan Besi XII starting next week.
The new regulation on Jl. Tanjung Duren Utara will be effective as of April 22 and on Jl. Jembatan Besi XII April 29.
Sepang noted that some parts of Jl. Jembatan Besi III will also be one-way.
Motorists from Jl. Tanjung Duren Utara VIII will have to use Jl. Tanjung Duren Utara III-A and Jl. Salak Masir to go to Green Ville housing area. (09)