Bhubaneswar: Elderly devotees and people with disabilities will soon be able to pre-book darshan at Puri’s Jagannath Temple through a new online application. The mobile and web-based app, being developed by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), is in the final stage of trial, and is expected to be rolled out soon.“In the initial phase, we will allow a maximum of 50 such devotees to avail darshan each day,” SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee said.The temple administration will deploy volunteers to assist senior citizens and devotees with disabilities during darshan. The service is likely to be offered during non-peak hours. Devotees will not have to pay for the assistance. “I have written to the Puri district collector, requesting him to engage trained volunteers from the Indian Red Cross Society and St John Ambulance service. The SJTA will pay an honorarium to the volunteers. Devotees will not be charged,” Padhee said.The SJTA has already constructed a ramp with railings from the shrine’s north gate up to Kurma Bedha. Volunteers will assist devotees from Kurma Bedha to the darshan hall in Nata Mandap and Jagamohan. As the use of wheelchairs is restricted inside the temple, the SJTA has decided to provide wooden carriers, similar to those used at some other shrines in the country, initially.“We have discussed the initiative with the servitors concerned to ensure that it conforms to the temple traditions. A standard operating procedure will soon be issued to ensure hassle-free darshan for devotees with disabilities,” Padhee said.Earlier, the temple’s north gate had an unused ramp that was poorly designed and stopped at Ananda Bazar. The SJTA has redeveloped it with a wider, more accessible layout. The new ramp, fitted with brass handrails, extends up to Ghanti Dwar. Steps near the ramp have also been redesigned to improve accessibility.The accessibility measures follow a govt access audit conducted in 2023, which identified several infrastructure gaps at the shrine. In Jan 2022, social campaigner Jitendra Kumar Biswal also filed a petition in Orissa high court seeking improved facilities for disabled devotees. Currently, around 30-40 specially abled devotees visit the temple every day, including about 10 who are unable to walk.