Puri: In order to ensure better crowd management at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, the district administration has decided to take the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. This will strengthen security measures at the temple as well.

Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said video footage and other related data will be collected digitally and analysed while leveraging the power of the advanced AI technology. This will improve crowd management at the Shree Jagannath Temple and enhance security on the temple premises, elaborated Swain, who is also the Deputy Chief Administrator of the temple administration.

CCTVs will be installed at 14 strategic points on the temple premises. The captured footage and data will be analysed through AI technology. Mobile phones and other banned items on the temple premises can be detected as well, the official added.

Sources said the CCTVs will be put up near the temple’s four gates, Saata Pahacha (seven stairs), Chakada, Gumuta, Anand Bazaar and other strategic places. Crowd handling has become less worrisome after four gates of the temple have been thrown open for devotees. But, the personnel engaged in crowd management still face difficulties at two gates because of the opposite flow of devotees returning from the temple.

The sources added the district administration has invited a tender for implementation of a footfall system.

The temple managing committee decided to launch a mobile app so that devotees can pay obeisance to deities in a hassle-free manner. The app will be quite helpful in getting information about traffic movement, parking locations, etc.

Devotees will get updated information about rituals and nitis of the deities as well, said Mahanta Ramakrushna Das, member of the temple managing committee.

The new measures are expected to handle crowd management in an efficient manner, Das added.