Vijayada: Mobile phones are guiding devotees to parking spaces during the ongoing Dasara Navaratri celebrations at the Kanakadurga temple n Vijayawada. Parking vehicles was a problem for pilgrims visiting the temple as they did not know about the parking zones and restrictions on roads and areas around the temple.
Due to the heavy rush, pilgrims used to find it difficult to park their vehicles. To overcome this difficulty, a mobile app, “Dasara Parking” was developed to help devotees choose the parking place even when they are on way to the Kanakadurga temple. This would enable the devotees focus on Dasara rituals and pujas.
There are 11 parking places provided around the Durga temple and the mobile application shows the availability of space for two-wheelers or four-wheelers or for both. Parking for both four and two wheelers is available at Padmavathi ghat, Rajiv Gandhi Park, vacant TTD site at Kummaripalem, near Punnami Ghat, beside Lotus apartments, Kaleswara Rao Market cellar, vacant site at old Police Quarters in front of VMC office, Gadda Bomma centre, besides flower market and Seethamma vari Padaalu. Parking only for four wheelers is available at Gandhiji Municipal High School.
A devotee, B. Paramesh, who came from Brahamanapalli said, “Earlier, we were earlier worried about parking our car but with the Dasara Parking mobile application, it is much easier to find parking place.” He thanked technology for making life easier in all aspects. The app, using Google Maps, is guiding devotees to the parking space with the help of Google Maps.
Earlier they had to manually search for a safe parking place during Dasara but this year it had become very easy using their mobile. They stated that technology was helping devotees make a safe journey without any worries. Another devotee, Abothula Venkata Ramana, said that the Dasara mobile application was guiding the route to the parking using Google maps and it had helped him find a parking place near the temple.
