Vaikunta Ekadasi: AI-integrated Command Control Centre Slashes Darshan Time By Half At Tirumala
The AI-integrated Command Control Centre (ACCC) helped in monitoring the devotee rush constantly and guided the staff in streamlining the queues, TTD Additional EO Venkaiah Chowdary said
The pilgrims devotees experienced a big relief at the Tirumala shrine. On Vaikunta Ekadash, they did not stand for hours to have the darshan of the Lord, despite the heavy rush.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) avoided long delays in darshan with strategic planning, enabled by technology.
The AI-integrated Command Control Centre (ACCC) helped in monitoring the devotee rush constantly and guided the staff in streamlining the queues, TTD Additional EO Venkaiah Chowdary said.
The TTD authorities speculated that over 70,000 pilgrims would seek darshan and implemented the slot method. The devotees were informed about where to report and at what time, before hand. This enabled the TTD manage heavy rush on Vaikuntha Ekadasi (December 30), when there was a turnout of 67,000 and on December 31, when a similar number of devotees visited the shrine.
The pilgrims had been disciplined and reported to the allocated places on time. The staff decentralized the rush to three different places in the morning, afternoon and evening, by asking the devotees to report at different points. The strategy helped in reducing the darshan time by nearly half, from 4 hours to 2 hours.
The streamlining of pilgrim rush had been possible by aligning the darshan management with technology. Right from the issuing of tickets, luggage deposit, body scanning to completion of darshan, every stage was supervised in real time through dashboard.
For this, 300 additional CC cameras and 42 Face Recognition System (FRS) were installed to estimate the rush. Whenever there was a surge in the rush, the staff was alerted online.
The TTD believes that it had been made possible due to the cooperation of the pilgrims, along with the involvement of police, district administration and media.
The TTD authorities said that AI would be extended to laddu distribution too. The Command Control Centre would be able to help in knowing about the number of devotees in the queues and the appropriate number of laddu counters that ned to be opened.
From January 2, Sarva darshan will be resumed for the devotees.
