Kanwariyas heading to Deoghar will have to wait for some more time to get Babadham in their smart phones. Deoghar administration has said that the mobile app named Babadham has not been granted space on its popular Google Play Store even on Monday. The app was planned to be launched on last Sunday itself. However, the app has passed the tests related to its functionality during a demo conducted on Sunday. Its launch on nic.in has also been postponed.
Deoghar Public Relations Officer (PRO) Bindeshwari Kumar Jha said that the administration has been waiting for approval from Google India since Saturday. “However, the approval could come anytime by now, even in another hour, or might be after two days. So, we are waiting for approval from them and the moment we get it, the app will be available for downloading facilities,” said Jha.
This Babadham app from Deoghar district administration has been conceptualized to make entire pilgrimage days of lord Shiva devotees coming to Deoghar in Sawan (and rest of the year also) hassle free. The app has been primarily equipped with information related to length of queue right from the doorsteps of Babadham Temple to backwards, and a possibility monitor of how many devotees would be able to make the holy water or Ganga offered to lord Shiva on that particular day.
“This is the very basic, yet most critical information that we wanted Kanwariyas to offer, as we wanted only those devotees in queue, whose possibility to make their offerings on that day is maximum. If Kanwariyas or devotees get this information in advance as to where they are at that particular moment, it becomes much easier for them to decide whether they should move forward on that day or should make it on next day. It will also help managing crowd in and around temple premise,” said Deoghar DC Arava Rajkamal.
The administration was ready to launch Babadham app with this basic facility on Sunday, and a plan to add more facilities as they were developed on daily basis was in place. “Now that we are waiting for approval, we will be in a position to launch it with more and more services,” said Jha. But he was also concerned with the delay, as this app was being launched primarily for Sawan itself. “The delay would only result in the app losing its relevance in this Sawan,” said Jha.
Once launched, the app will have all information related to Deoghar temple and Darshana activities throughout the year. It will have information related to number of hotels and dharmshalas and their availability, hospitals, dispensaries, public conveniences and other important services right from Sultangunj (where devotees collect water from Ganga to offer to lord Shiva in Deoghar) to temple doorsteps for Kanwariyas on the move. The app will also have special offers, instructions and other details for Kanwariyas just at their mobile handset.