QR codes and 'smart' signages for heritage sites in Delhi soon

New Delhi, Mar 1: Heritage sites and monuments that fall in areas under the jurisdiction of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will soon have 'smart signages' as part of the 'smart city' initiative. "A total of 160 signages will be installed at around 40 locations. Specially-designed boards will be used for the purpose, which will bear brief descriptions for the sites, which usually have red sandstone for signages or information boards. "The detailed information will be available on scanning the Quick Response (QR) codes printed on the signages using smart phones," said OP Mishra, Director (Projects), NDMC. The civic agency, which is claiming that the present initiative is a first-of-its-kind one, has roped in the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for the project, which will enable the visitors to use their smart phones as a guide. "We have given the Rs 40 lakh project to INTACH, which will be responsible for the designing and installation of the smart signages," Mishra said. "A website is being developed which will have detailed information about history, directions to the place and souvenir shops, etc. about all heritage sites or monuments in the NDMC area. Whenever a visitor scans the QR code, he or she will be directed to the said website," he added. The work for the project is already underway and the signages are likely to be installed by March 15. Till the time the website is ready, the signages will be linked with the INTACH website. "To begin with, we are linking the QR codes with our website as we already have all the information about heritage sites and monuments in Delhi," said AGK Menon, head of INTACH's Delhi chapter. "We have created a specific design for the signages, which has been approved by NDMC. Much like the landscape within which the monument is located, an Integrated Signage System, too, gives the heritage site an identity and character," he said. INTACH, in association with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), had earlier carried out the designing, fabrication and installation of an Integrated Signage System at 15 ASI-protected sites in Delhi. "The main objective of signage is clarity of communication in order to provide the visitors easy access to monuments and sites and the facilities provided. It will be interesting and helpful for them to know about the heritage, its context and the rules and regulations to be followed during a visit to a place of interest," Menon said. "We have designed the signages for few sites such as Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Gandhi Smriti, Dominion Columns, Bada Jain Mandir and Freemasons Lodge, among others. The designs have been approved by NMDC and the installation is in progress," he said.