Navigation app – BhuNav – has been launched for hockey fans thronging the stadium to catch a glimpse of the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup here.

The Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited has introduced BhuNav to provide navigational support to fans once they are inside the Kalinga Stadium complex. The app has an in-built navigation system similar to Google Maps to help users find points of interest at the stadium complex.

IT major Honeywell, which is a stakeholder for creating IT infrastructure across the city, has developed the app for Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and the Hockey Federation of India. “BhuNav will help the visitors to navigate the massive 5,000 square yards stadium,” said smart city’s managing director Krishan Kumar.

Sources said the app was different from traditional navigational services as it not only shows the path, but also helps one navigate between multiple floors. “One can view the transit from one floor to another. In future, the app will add other locations in the city,” said Kumar. He said later the app would help citizens when they visit stadiums, museums, government facilities and other major establishments in the city. “We will consider the user feedback and develop the app further,” Kumar said.

Officials said that the app could be used in several areas of the stadium. It can help citizens find places such as the Fan Village, parking lots, restrooms, food stalls and entry-exits points at the stadium. The app also marks the user’s current location real time with a blue dot on the map.

The smartphone application can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple Play Store. Developers of the app said that users can share and save locations on the move. Depending on the location saved by the user, the app can also work offline.

Snatch bid

Khurda Road division Railway Protection Force personnel arrested two snatchers at Bhubaneswar railway station on Monday night. According to the sources, three criminals tried to snatch valuables from a passenger in the old PRS area of Bhubaneswar railway station around 2.30am.

When the passenger resisted, they tried to strangulate him. But divisional Special Task Force (STF) team member T.K. Mahapatra acted swiftly and saved the passengers from the clutches of the criminals.