Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 3: The Civil Secretariat will reopen in the summer capital Srinagar tomorrow as the administration shifts from Jammu under the revived bi-annual “Darbar Move” after 5 years.
All the offices, including the office of the Chief Minister, will commence their activities in Srinagar from May 4. On this day, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be felicitated with an official guard of honor.
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Last week, the Secretariat in Jammu concluded its functions after remaining active for six months of the winter session. Prior to relocation, the preparations of Srinagar included repairing of roads and filling up of potholes.
Working hours in Srinagar will be 9:30 am to 5:30 pm for all departments of the secretariat and 10 am to 4:30 pm for all other offices. A summer secretariat will also be maintained by GAD in Jammu.
As per the GAD order issued by Commissioner M. Raju, the five-day offices in Jammu were closed on April 30, and the six-day offices were closed on May 2.
Civil Secretariat and 38 departments would move fully, whereas 47 offices would run on ‘camp’ basis with 33% strength or at least 10 officers; the rest of the employees would stay back in Jammu. Arrangements for accommodation would be made by the Estates Department.
Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation was instructed to provide buses for the movement of the employees on May 1 and May 3. Special Travel Allowance for Rs. 25,000 per employee has been sanctioned, and salary for April was given on April 29.
Darbar Move was restarted in 2025 after a break of four years by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The practice was stopped in 2021 by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha due to e-governance and savings of up to Rs. 200 crore expected annually. The decision was highly criticized by the Jammu business community.
The bi-annual move started in 1872 by Maharaja Gulab Singh to help the administration escape bad weather conditions by shifting from Jammu in winters to Srinagar in summers.
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