sabarimalaq.com, a grand success
Staff Reporter
The Kerala Police-operated virtual queue booking for Sabarimala pilgrims is a grand hit as 6.43 lakh people booked their darshan time in advance this year in the beginning of the peak Sabarimala season. The first week of the two-month-long peak period for the pilgrimage ended on Thursday.
Additional director general of police P Chandrasekharan, who also heads the virtual queue department, said the facility was offered free of cost to those who want to book their darshan time in advance.
On an average, the police is giving around 3,000 people who use the virtual queue facility the darshan time in one hour. This means the waiting period for the darshan at the peak time, which would extend to 10 hours, could be reduced to one hour.
The two-month-old pilgrimage season at the famous Sabarimala temple began on November 16 this year.
All those who want to book their darshan time can log on to www.sabarimalaq.com.
On Thursday alone, there were a record 5.84 lakh hits; the total hits so far has crossed 4.3 crore.
The police team expect two million people to make use of this virtual queue booking facility. But it is not mandatory for every pilgrim to book their darshan in advance. People who wish to have a darshan in the conventional way can still do it.
About 25 per cent of those who make bookings fail to turn up. The unique queue-booking facility was unveiled by the Kerala Police last season, when a record 7.43 lakh pilgrims used it.
There are 26 counters at the foothills on the way to the temple to coordinate the pilgrims who have booked their darshan online; pilgrims who have made bookings should show an accepted photo identity card, along with the queue coupon that is given once a booking is made online.
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...
To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.
To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Homepage: www.keralites.net