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Jakarta. The Transportation Ministry opened a high-tech center on Friday to monitor the flow of traffic during Idul Fitri, when millions of people will be on the go to reach their hometowns.

The National Integrated Transportation Center has more than 20 big screens showing footage from hundreds of cameras scattered across the nation and is expected to help officials spot traffic jams.

According to Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi, there are 78 areas that are particularly prone to traffic jams in the archipelago. “These are mostly due to pasar tumpah [impromptu markets] and unfinished road construction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tunjung Inderawan, director general of railway transportation, said the nation’s 4,500 railways were also being monitored. He added that special attention was being paid to unguarded crossings.

He said the ministry would coordinate with regional administrations in identifying these dangerous crossings.

“We admit that it’s difficult to monitor so many unwatched crossings, so we need help from residents, as well as the drivers,” Tunjung said. “Whatever the circumstances are, please make way for passing trains.”

Around 15.5 million people are expected to go home for the holidays, one third of whom will travel by land.

Eye on the Sky

Measures are also being taken to prevent radar glitches or blackouts from disrupting air travel.

“We expect no disturbances at the airports,” said Herry Bhakti Singayuda, director general of civil aviation at the Ministry of Transportation.

Herry said the ministry and state airport operator Angkasa Pura II had been coordinating with state electricity utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara prior to the holiday season.

“PLN agreed to treat airports like the [Presidential] Palace, where electricity is monitored 24/7,” he said.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has recently experienced power problems. On Aug. 6, a 1.7-second power outage at the airport delayed 62 flights. The airport, Indonesia’s largest, also suffered from a similar blackout in December 2009.

On Monday, its radar system went dead for 30 minutes, forcing air-traffic controllers to manually guide planes for takeoff and landing, affecting at least 20 domestic flights.

Herry said that he had instructed airport authorities to inspect and monitor the radar system more frequently.

“Usually the system is refreshed once every month,” Herry said. “Now it’s once every two weeks.”

The ministry predicted some 1.9 million people would travel by air during the holiday, an increase from last year’s 1.7 million.

Security Check

To ensure safety, thousands of police officers will also be deployed nationwide during the holiday period to keep the peace.

“Priority areas will be Lampung, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and Bali,” Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, the National Police’s chief of general monitoring, said on Wednesday.

“The Jakarta Police have to be more alert for conventional crimes such as gold store and bank robberies, which traditionally become more common as Lebaran approaches. The National Police are required to solve those cases,” he said.

Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Timur Pradopo said around-the-clock security would be implemented at the main departure points in Jakarta, such as the Senen and Gambir train and bus stations, the Pulogadung and Kampung Rambutan bus terminals, Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Tanjung Priok sea port.

“Tourist attractions such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Ancol, Ragunan Zoo and Cibubur Flower Park will also be secured 24-hours,” he said.

The Jakarta Police are deploying 7,239 officers for security operations from Friday to Sept.19.

Aside from departure points and tourist attractions, officers will also be deployed at shopping centers, houses of worship and other public places.