A pilgrim performs rituals during Pitripaksh Mela in Gaya. Picture by Suman

Gaya, Sept. 10: Two ticks are all that one requires for a smooth Pitripaksh Mela.

Gaya district magistrate Sanjay Agarwal has directed all officials on duty for the annual event to use WhatsApp, the mobile messaging application, for ensuring coordination and effective arrangements for the pilgrims.

WhatsApp allows smartphone users with working Internet connections to exchange text messages, voice messages and pictures with each other. Once a person sends a WhatsApp message of any kind, he/she gets one tick, implying it has been sent. A second tick next to the message implies it has been delivered to the recipient. And so the circle continues.

Now, the district administration has adopted this technological platform to monitor arrangements for the Pitripaksh Mela. Not only are officials coordinating with each other over the popular application, Agarwal said pilgrims and residents can also contact him in case of any need.

He added that use of the application since September 8 — the day Pitripaksh Mela 2014 was inaugurated — has made it easy on officials to gather pertinent information about the Mela’s progress.

“The officials are connected with each other through this application. It helps them coordinate. In case of any need, a team of officials can rush to a spot in time. Teams have been asked to visit the Mela area and upload pictures of any constraint and forward it to the officials concerned so that corrective measures can be initiated immediately. Through the application, I keep myself updated about the arrangements too,” Agarwal said.

The Pitripaksh Mela area has been divided into four different zones and 41 sectors. Different committees like power and water supply, accommodation, transportation — headed by district administration officials — have been formed to ensure the pilgrims are not inconvenienced. National Informatics Centre principal system analyst Tarun Kumar Sinha is coordinating the hi-tech arrangements.

Agarwal added: “Residents and pilgrims can also send information and pictures to the mobile numbers of the district magistrate or other officials over WhatsApp if they have any complaints about the arrangements. Corrective measures would be initiated immediately.”

As part of other pilgrim-friendly measures, the administration has started an interactive voice response system helpline. Pilgrims are getting a text message (SMS) on their cellphones — “Pitripaksh Mahasangam 2014 me apka swagat hai. Kisi prakar ke kathinai hone par call centre 9304401000 se sampark kare (Welcome to Pitripaksh Mahasangam 2014. In case of any problem, contact the call centre at 9304401000)” — on arriving in Gaya for performing pinddaan rituals for the salvation of their ancestors.

Officials said the administration plans to continue the helpline even after the Pitripaksh Mela that concludes on September 24.

That’s not all.

The administration has also prepared a mobile application of the Pitripaksh website, www.pinddaangaya.com. Pilgrims with Android phones can download information such as availability of Gayapal pandas, route chart, hotels, guesthouses and the places to perform the pinddaan rituals from the website.