Tirupati: The Tirupati police introduced an App exclusively for the lodges and also homestays in and around Tirupati city including Tiruchanur, M R Palli, Mangalam and Tirupati Rural.

Following complaints against some homestays which recently witnessed unruly scenes causing inconvenience to neighbours and also allegations of many homestays particularly in the sub-urban localities and places away from the city becoming a shelter for unreasonable elements and haven for anti-social activities, the Tirupati police brought out an interface App covering all the homestays and lodges in Tirupati and surrounding places.

Accordingly, the district police directed the lodges, homestays and also private guesthouses to have the App in which they have to incorporate all the details of those checking into the restrooms.

Disclosing the purpose behind the operation of the App and its functioning and how it helps the police to have control over the private accommodation providers, Tirupati district SP Harshavardhan Raju said police so far saw as many as 509 homestays, lodges and private guesthouses opt to the App.

The private accommodation providers have to include all the details of the tourist/pilgrim customers availing accommodation. This include the Aadhaar Number, the purpose of the visit and their photo image capture in the App.

All the details entered in the APP will automatically pass on into the police server in the district police office for the ready reference. This would help the police to check the details to find out any suspicious elements and also very useful in the aftermath of any incidents in the homestays or lodges, he explained.

“All these days we had no control on the homestays, guesthouses or lodges. This App will help the police to rein in lodges and homestays,” he said informing that most of the private accommodation providers were covered under the new system i. e App except some in Tiruchanur and M R Palli area.”

Police will complete introducing the App to all the homestays and lodges in a week or two. Answering a question on unauthorised lodges and homestays. he said it should be dealt with by municipal authorities and police are not empowered.

In the same breath SP Raju said, “We are passing all the information collected through the App to the municipal authorities and also district authorities which will help them find out any unauthorized ones for taking up action.”

The SP also said he was also meeting the District Collector on regulating the private accommodation providers which would go a long way in their transparent functioning and enhance safety of users. This would help law-enforcing authorities to have an effective control, he said.