900 pilgrims have used Kedar valley application

Tribune News service

Dehradun, July 5

More than 900 pilgrims have downloaded and used on their mobile phones the advanced android application launched by the Rudraprayag administration for pilgrim safety.

It’s the first online and offline integrated smart phone application launched for rescue and evacuation efforts in which the user can send an emergency SMS at the time of a disaster to inform the administration about his/her precise location in terms of GPS coordinates. The most important feature of the application is that even in the offline mode, without any internet connectivity, the user is able to send an SMS to the rescue centre providing his exact GPS locational details.

Meanwhile, the application has been granted the ISO 9001:2008 compliance certificate, giving the disaster mitigation and response apparatus in the Kedarnath valley an impetus.

The Rudraprayag administration keeping in mind widespread devastation caused by flash floods in 2013 had launched Shri Kedar Rescue Demo Android Application with limited user features on October 7, 2014, to instil confidence in pilgrims about the Kedarnath yatra. The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Rudraprayag, in collaboration with Caldera Solutions Pvt Ltd has now launched the final advanced version for the Kedarnath yatra. Locals, pilgrims and tourists can instal the application in their smart phones free of cost from Google Play Store or the Rudraprayag district administration website. It gives access to information about location of helipads, evacuation routes, important public buildings, medical relief posts, police chowkis, and important contact numbers. The user can send a rescue alert SMS in case of an emergency to the District Emergency Operation Centre. The application has been developed under the direction of Dr Raghav Langer, District Magistrate and Chairman of the DDMA.

Langer said till now more than 900 pilgrims had downloaded and used the application on their mobile phones. Once installed, the application remains active for seven days and gets deactivated automatically.

He said, “The application has been developed at a cost of Rs 14.30 lakh and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has funded the project. Caldera Solutions Pvt Ltd would maintain the app for one year, according to the agreement, and later the District NIC team would handle it. The DDMA staff is tracking the location and movement of pilgrims on the admin panel from the district disaster control room.

Meanwhile, the DDMA has suggested to the state government to approve the extension of this Kedarnath specific application to the entire Char Dham Yatra circuit.