Karnataka   

Controlling crowds through technology

V. Ranganathan — Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

"Technology is not just for a few, but has mass applications. And without that factor, technology alone will not serve a purpose,'' V. Ranganathan, managing director of BNA Technology Consulting Ltd, tells K. Satyamurty.

Lakhs of pilgrims who throng the famous Tirumala Temple owe a word of thanks to Mr. Ranganathan of Bangalore. He has made it possible for them to get biometric and bar coded wrist tags and book in advance for the darshan of Lord Venkateshwara.

"The idea was not just to reduce the waiting time in queues, but also for better crowd management by Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD). Now, pilgrims need not stand and wait but get into a "virtual queue" and spend their time elsewhere and come at the time slotted for them,'' Mr. Ranganathan, who helped in facilitating this process, says.

His company proposed the idea in 1993 and gave a demonstration. But the TTD authorities were probably reluctant to experiment just then, he says. By 1999, the widespread use of technology changed many mindsets; many IT firms made their presentations, but BNA's idea was chosen as being most suited to the circumstances.

"What started as a two-week trial run went on for four years, and is now part of the Tirumala pilgrimage. Apart from helping pilgrims, TTD has a database to find out on which days and for which `seva' more devotees are coming. This helps them plan logistics such as running more buses up the hill from Tirupati. The savings in terms of personnel for crowd management and the facilities to be provided to waiting pilgrims would have more than made up the initial investment by TTD'' he says.

The idea of crowd management through technology came to this product of the Indian Institute of Science after seeing how huge crowds at events such as VVIP visits were controlled.

Soon came the idea of linking queues with ID tags on wrists to a web-based booking of darshans at the temple. "Some other big temples such as Vaishnodevi have adopted similar systems now,'' he says.

His other achievement is the use of microprocessor-based controls in the mass entertainment sector. The Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain here is one among them. "The lighting, music and the spray of water had to be perfectly synchronised and we did it. We expected to create controls for 10 or 15 musical fountains, but now there are nearly 50 across the country,'' he says.

Similar control systems have been created for sound-and-light shows at historic monuments. Here too, suitable lighting, creating the right atmosphere and sound effects that match the commentary, all need to be synchronised. "It is almost like bringing history alive and we are proud to be part of that,'' he says.

Mr. Ranganathan's technology-based crowd management was sought by the authorities concerned in Delhi some years ago when the Supreme Court ordered a deadline for all public transport vehicles to switch over to non-polluting CNG fuel.

"There were too few retail outlets to start with and it created a big embarrassment for all... there were lines of vehicles even near the Prime Minister's residence," he says.

Again a queue system by which drivers could book for refills in time for their tanks to come close to empty was made possible. The situation was saved till more outlets came into being.

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