Mysuru: Mysuru city has many firsts to its credit and in line with this distinction, for the first time in the country, Single Smart Card for entry to four tourist spots would be introduced by the District Administration and the Tourism Department in two months, said Janardhan, Deputy Director of Tourism Department, here this morning.

This is in sync with the State Tourism Department which is planning to introduce the Smart Card that can be used as a ticket at all tourist destination across the State.

The four tourist places where the Smart Card could be used are the Mysuru Palace, Zoo, Karanji Lake and Chamundi Hill. The tourists can purchase the tickets online and even through their mobile phones. The e- tickets of all the four places would be integrated into one Smart Card. The tourists will then avoid the hassles of standing in queues and can directly enter the tourist places, said Janardhan.

The four places that have been chosen come under the District Administration and hence the implementation of Smart Cards becomes easy. The other nearby tourist destinations like Srirangapatna and Nanjangud come under different administration and right now to include them would lead to delay in the introduction of the Smart Card, he said.

The software to introduce the Smart Cards has begun and the department is in touch with the banks concerned to start the process, he said.

According to Naveen Raj Singh, Secretary, Tourism Department, though the Centre is planning a similar initiative, Karnataka will be the first State to introduce it independently by the year-end. Meanwhile, Mysuru would be the first city in the country and in the State to introduce single entry smart card for tourists, said Janardhan.