KOLKATA: Unable to decide what to study in college, a tech-savvy teenager has made life easier for over 1.6 lakh people living on West Bengal’s Sagar Island by developing an app that gives exact timings of the ferry service to and from the mainland.
Despite hosting millions of devotees during the annual Gangasagar Mela, Sagar Island—it lies at the confluence of river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal—lacks basic amenities. Residents of its 43 villages are forced to go to South 24-Parganas district on a daily basis, the ferry being their only mode of transportation.
Since ferry timings vary depending on weather and availability of vessels, most passengers have to wait hours.That changed three months ago with 19-year-old Goutam Gorai of Surjyabrinda village developing the ‘Gangasagar Vessel Time’ app, which lists not only ferry timings but also emergency services. He is assisted by local youths Bikash Mondal and Manik Guria, who take photos of the timetable put up at the ghats every morning and WhatsApp him.
The app is now being used by over 5,000 islanders and being downloaded by about 30 people every day.
After clearing Class XII, Goutam was unsure of what to study in college. So, he did a few online computer courses on his smartphone and saved money to buy a laptop. He then created a Google app-developer account. Goutam is not sure how to generate revenue from the app. “I am happy it has benefited people. I want nothing more,” he said. But it seems the money will soon start rolling in as ads have started appearing on the app.