Varanasi: Kashi is set to usher in an AI-powered era of crowd and mobility management, with tourists and devotees soon navigating the heritage city through an intelligent, technology-driven system. Combining artificial intelligence-powered sensors and cameras, generative AI, digital signages, colour-coded routes and AI-based pedestrian navigation, the initiative is designed to ease congestion, optimise movement and enhance the pilgrimage experience in the city’s busiest corridors.The AI-enabled platform will also be capable of forecasting crowd density up to four hours in advance, enabling the police and administration to proactively implement route diversions, regulate pedestrian flow and strengthen crowd management measures.Real-time data and AI tools will also suggest alternative lanes to visitors, helping them avoid overcrowded routes.Varanasi was selected under the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge, alongside global cities such as Venice and Detroit.After the pilot phase, four winning companies have now been chosen to scale up solutions for traffic, crowd management and pedestrian mobility in the city.Following Kashi’s transformation and the expansion of basic infrastructure, the number of tourists and devotees visiting the city has increased manifold. Along with elevated roads, flyovers, road widening, ring roads, ropeway projects and parking facilities, the government is now adopting modern technology to make mobility easier.For crowd management, CityData will use big data and generative AI through its CityFlow system. CityData CEO Apurv Kumar said eight AI sensors have been installed under the pilot project, and the number will increase to more than 50 in the next phase. These sensors will analyse crowd and traffic behaviour and provide real-time information on current and anticipated congestion levels. The data will be shared with the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre, enabling prompt administrative and police response.Kashi’s roads and lanes will also guide devotees to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the historic Ganga ghats. Vanshika Shah of Janjatra said different colours will be used on roads to direct visitors to various destinations. A yellow line will lead devotees to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, a blue line will take them to the Ganga ghats and a red line will guide them back to the pickup point. Murals in the lanes will further help visitors identify routes.Janjatra director Dharan said digital signages will suggest alternative routes whenever crowding is detected at a location. AI cameras will also support crowd management by sending alerts to the control room in case of excessive congestion. Siddhi Soni said that after the pilot project, both the technology and its coverage area will be expanded. The number of digital signages and AI cameras between Jangambari and Maidagin will also be increased as required.Another organisation, Vozic AI, is developing an app after studying Kashi’s lanes and traffic patterns. Its CEO, Arijit Biswas, said the “Behtar-Way” app will differ from conventional navigation apps by using real-time data and artificial intelligence to suggest alternative lanes and nearby tourist attractions while avoiding crowded routes. The app will also help tourists explore culturally rich areas and provide information about local shops in the lanes, potentially boosting their business.Prameya Consulting CEO Riddhi Shah said “Nayi Chaal” is an AI-powered ecosystem designed to ensure safe, smooth and accessible mobility in Kashi through a mobility dashboard, navigation app and wayfinding network. It focuses particularly on improving accessibility for persons with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant women. In the next phase, a seamless mobility solution will be developed from Assi Ghat to Manikarnika Ghat. Under the pilot project, information centres have been set up from Godowlia to Dashashwamedh Ghat to provide details about toilets, ramps, changing rooms, wheelchairs and other facilities.Municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said the selected teams emerged after a two-year process under the Sustainable Cities Challenge, an initiative launched by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation and Varanasi Smart City in collaboration with the Toyota Mobility Foundation, Challenge Works and World Resources Institute India. The teams worked with innovators, the district administration, mobility experts and local authorities to develop practical, ground-level solutions for crowd and pedestrian management. The project is expected to be completed within two years.
