VISAKHAPATNAM: As part of its initiatives to ensure hassle-free Ganesh Puja celebrations, the city Police Department will assign Quick Response (QR) codes to Ganesh pandals in the city. The codes will help keep a check on the number of pandals erected in localities. People, residential colonies or committees interested in erecting pandals for the festival this year should take permission by registering themselves and give details regarding the pandals at the offices of local ACPs. This can be done online as well on www.vizagcitypolice.com.
The Police have formulated a set of guidelines on the pandals’ height, the date for immersion of idols etc. QR codes will be assigned only after verifying if the all the check boxes have been ticked. “Pandal organisers can attach the QR code near the pandal or near the idol. The code will be sed for geo-mapping. We will have coordinates on Google maps. Our beat police will check the pandals and scan QR codes daily,” said K Fakeerappa, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I).
The QR codes will be linked to the dashboard of the control room, allowing police to track idols. “The movement of idols during immersion will be spotted easily. We can plan immersion routes using the codes and ensure that there is no deviation from the plan,” he said.