In yet another pilgrim-friendly move, TTD launches BBMS

Tirumala: The TTD has ventured into yet another pro-devotee initiative, this time with the automation and digitalization of Luggage Management System, making it faster and easier for the devotees. The Balaji Baggage Management System (BBMS) was first introduced on a trial basis and proved successful. Briefing on the BBMS along with the chief vigilance and security officer (CVSO) D Narasimha Kishore here on Tuesday, TTD EO AV Dharma Reddy said the BBMS was introduced to replace the present manual baggage handling with an easier and faster luggage deposit and collection, including the mobile phones, for the convenience of the devotees coming for the Lord’s darshan.

The EO said some devotees were compelled to carry their mobile phones hidden in their pockets while going for darshan in view of delay in the deposit process, only to be detected later, facing inconvenience.

But now the new system has addressed the problem with more finesse and transparency to the satisfaction of devotees, he maintained.

Elaborating further, the EO said in the new system the darshan tickets will be scanned and automatically saved along with details of their luggage and mobile phones and for those without darshan tickets their goods are scanned and a RFID code is generated with a QR code receipt. Similarly for mobile deposit, devotees’ Aadhaar details are gathered along with Srivari Darshan tickets and QR code and receipt are given.

Since the luggage vehicles have a GPS link the devotees get a SMS on time of arrival of their luggage. When the receipts are scanned at the display kiosks in front of the luggage counter, the luggage availability is indicated immediately at the luggage centres with colour coding system and they are loaded on trolleys and sent to counters.

The new system which is under operation for a month, found that on an average daily about 60,000 mobiles and 40,000 baggages are being deposited and delivered in a hassle-free manner through 44 counters in 16 centres.

The TTD EO said special deposit centres were installed at Rs 300 darshan ticket counters, Divya Darshan, Sarva Darshan, Supatham, Srivari Mettu, Alipiri check points. The TTD has installed 20 counters at common luggage centres, 6 counters at GNC, 02 at TBC for retrieval (delivery) purposes. TTD CVSO said the entire system was commissioned with the support of donors under the guidance of TTD EO. He said, donor Venugopal V Kota of Bengaluru had donated Rs 1 crore worth software and Vedanta Somasekhar, CEO of M/s Track-It, Hyderabad has given Rs 17 lakh to develop the software application and Jose Charles Martin, MD of M&C Property Development Private Limited from Chennai donated Rs 2 crore towards hardware.

CVSO inspects GNC luggage counter: After the media interaction, CVSO Narasimha Kishore inspected the luggage deposit centre at GNC and interacted with the devotees on the process to understand the location of their luggage after scanning their luggage receipt in the kiosk.

VGOs Bali Reddy, Giridhar Rao, AVSO Satish and other vigilance and security officials were present.