Helping Hand

Walk in,sip on a piping cup of masala chai as you browse for information about the city via a touch screen...

Walk in,sip on a piping cup of masala chai as you browse for information about the city via a touch screen,and before you leave,dont forget to rifle through some of the handy souvenirs displayed on the shelves. That,in essence,is the idea behind the 40 tourist info-cafes which are being installed at prominent locations across the city.

These 3 m x 3 m kiosk-like cafes will serve as interactive tourist information bureaus,where people can also grab a bite while collating information on the city. To be operational by September 15,in time for the Commonwealth Games visitors,the idea behind the kiosks will be to minimise the interaction of tourists with pesky touts and to protect them from getting fleeced by autorickshaws. We have designed the system keeping in mind the convenience of a traveller, says Ved Pohoja,the design consultant who took over 20 months to get the necessary research,space allotment and the materials in place. Delhi has never learnt to brand itself. As a city of over 14 million we have never seized the opportunity to be proud of Delhiites. The best time to start that is now,coinciding with the Games, adds Pohoja.

But the designers of the concept are not associating themselves with the Delhi government or the Organising Committee for the Games,to brand the city. So neither the memorabilia nor the souvenirs sport the Games insignia or the mascot in their designs. There are items like coffee mugs,pencil stands,ceramic bowls,key chains,paper weights with imprints of Delhis monuments,accessories like caps,backpacks,with the word Delhi,printed on them,and T- shirts sporting Delhi tags. The other major component of the kiosk is the 30 inch x 20 inch touch screens which will supply information on everything from tourist hotspots in the city,accommodation options,restaurants,nightclubs and entertainment options,emergency services like hospitals,police and fire department,and even allow one to make railway and flight reservations and book radio taxis. The touch screen will interact in English and eight foreign languages and will allow the user the option of transferring the information via blue tooth on the mobile phone or take print outs,free of charge.

The small coffee vending machines will stock Indian flavours of tea and coffee,apart from popular street foods of India. The menu is still being finalised. But there will be three persons manning every café. We have specially trained over 200 staff for this purpose, explains Pohoja,who invested Rs 7.5 crore for the project. Thirty stalls have already been installed at places like South Extension Part-1,Kalkaji,New Friends Colony,Saket. The downside to the project is that these will de dismantled by Pohojas agency by November 14. We have received permission only for 60 days by the government for this service. They are not allotting us the required land to extend this facility beyond the Games, he rues.

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