Durga temple introduces mobile app for convenience of devotees during Dasara

The Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam ( Kanaka Durga temple) atop the Indrakeeladri Hill in Vijayawada has adopted the latest digital technology to promote the Dasara festival among the tech-savvy, as it was declared as a State festival this year.

Temple Executive Officer Ch Narasing Rao on Monday had launched a toll-free number-18001217749 for devotee’s convenience and two mobile phone applications (apps) for Android phones, one for employees on duty, and another for pilgrims.

The app was developed by the Elite ProCon Solutions Private Limited with an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 lakh. Explaining the functioning of the mobile applications before the media, Narasing Rao said that the Officers Real Time Operations Management System (OOMS) app is meant to track the employees on duty.

The global positioning system (GPS) technology would be used in this regard. Details such as the time an employee turns up at the point he or she is posted and the time he or she leaves and the route they take will be recorded on the app.

The employee need not have an android phone for this. His mobile number would be fed into the primary data base of the app. Officials feel the app will ensure that staff on duty do not abstain from the point they are posted. Another app, Pilgrims Assistance Mobile System (PAMS) will provide all details about the festivities.

Once a pilgrim with an android phone downloads the app, it will guide him by providing information about Ghats, Anna Prasadam, information centers, parking lots, restaurants in the city, police stations, banks and ATMs, petrol pump, queues, cloak rooms, emergency numbers, schedule of Alankarams, Alaya Poojas, Sevas and cultural programmes, he said. Elite ProCon Solutions Private Limited Director C Ratna Kumar said that Indrakeeladri Hill has signal connectivity problems from the ground level.

Taking this in to consideration, ‘We have designed the two mobile apps with 60 per cent of the content is static it can be appeared to the devotees without Internet facility, 30 per cent of the content is dynamic which provides the updates of various events and news and the remaining 10 per cent is interactive contains images and information regarding basic amenities at the temple premises’, he said. Temple AEO and Public Relations Officer S Achyuta Ramaiah also present.