Varsity gets its own digital sanitation monitor

A QR code and NFC-based mobile application and information locator system under the Swachh Bharat Mission for monitoring sanitation of toilets in Punjab University hostels was launched here. The app was launched by PU vice-chancellor Prof Raj Kumar and UT deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi.

Kumar said this facility will be extended to all teaching departments and museums of the Panjab University. The museums will use QR codes/NFC for displaying relevant information of monuments/artefacts to the visitors. "The app-based sanitation monitoring of public toilets of Chandigarh is already in use and I am happy that PU is also becoming a partner in the Smart City mission.

Earlier, this app was launched in Chandigarh for tourists and approximately 1,100 tags were placed at different tourist spots like Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Capital Complex etc. Tourists can scan the QR code or use NFC to get detailed information about the history of a particular spot. The information can be accessed in 50 languages, and is also available in the form of audio, video, text and pictures," said Joshi. The digital solution would become an important platform for redressing grievances of hostellers.

Redressal timelines would be made a part of this mechanism. 'GoWhatsThat' is now available for free on Google Playstore. Its iOS and Windows versions would be released soon. A New Delhi-based private firm has developed this app and has provided it at zero cost to the university under their CSR initiative. Installations of the tags which contain QR codes and NFC-enabled chips is already completed at all PU hostels.

Residents can scan the QR code or use the NFC to give their feedback or complaint through the mobile app. NFC is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10cm distance. "It will be useful for the students, staff and faculty members of various departments while informative for visitors at the same time. Remedial action can be taken through concerned authorities as the system is extended to provide an interface for the hostel wardens," said a PU spokesperson.