Jammu/Srinagar, Oct. 28 (ANI): The annual movement of offices and officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Government, also known as the 'Darbar' (Secretariat) shift from summer capital of Srinagar to winter capital Jammu has taken place amidst tight security.
The civil secretariat of the state government functions in the summer capital Srinagar for six months and moves to Jammu at the onset of winter.
The bi-annual practice of 'Darbar' (Secretariat) move between the two capital cities of the state, Srinagar and Jammu, has been inherited from the Dogra rule, dating back to the 19th century.
It is estimated that the whole exercise of relocating offices costs the government over 520,000 dollars every year.
The chief of the secretariat employees' federation, Rouf Ahmed, said the civil secretariat is closed in Srinagar on Sunday and will be reopened in Jammu on November 5.
"This place is getting closed today. The transportation for our employees to Jammu will begin from tomorrow. As far as the secretariat in Jammu is concerned, it will open on November 5. And God willing, all the employees of the Jammu and Kashmir secretariat will assemble in Jammu on November 5," said Ahmed.
Srinagar is 300 kilometers north of Jammu. The state government is making easy and smooth transportation of all the government records packed in boxes and jute bags.
"As per the past practice, about 5000 state employees will go to Jammu for which the government has taken the decision that one way traffic would be kept for the caravans that set off on Saturday and Sunday. When the three or four caravans carrying our Jammu based employees would be on the move, then the traffic from Jammu would be stopped, so that no problem takes place in the journey," said Ahmed.
Temperature in Srinagar, in the foothills of Himalayas, drops to minus 10 degrees centigrade in winter months while Jammu, in the plains, is relatively warm.
The practice was started in 1882 by the then Maharaja Pratap Singh to meet the aspirations of the living in far flung areas of the state.
There have been isolated moves by successive government stop this over a century old practice which is a drain on the exchequer, but they have not succeeded.
There are divergent views on the six monthly shifting of the capital. Some people argue that it is not possible for the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions to travel all the way to snowbound Srinagar in the winter season to attend to administrative work.
While talking to ANI in Srinagar on Sunday (October 28) the chief of secretariat employees' federation, Rouf Ahmed said the civil secretariat of India's Kashmir is closed in Srinagar on Sunday and will be reopened in Jammu on November 05.
"This place is getting closed today. The transportation for our employees to Jammu will begin from tomorrow. As far as the secretariat in Jammu is concerned, it will open on November 05. And God willing, all the employees of the Jammu and Kashmir secretariat will assemble in Jammu on November 05," said Ahmed.
Srinagar is 300 kilometers north of Jammu. The state government is making easy and smooth transportation of all the government records packed in boxes and jute bags.
"As per the past practice, about 5000 state employees will go to Jammu for which the government has taken the decision that one way traffic would be kept for the caravans that set off on Saturday and Sunday. When the three or four caravans carrying our Jammu based employees would be on the move, then the traffic from Jammu would be stopped, so that no problem takes place in the journey," said Ahmed.
Temperature in Srinagar, in the foothills of Himalayas, drops to minus 10 degrees centigrade in winter months while Jammu, in the plains, is relatively warm.
The practice was started in 1882 by the then Maharaja Pratap Singh to meet the aspirations of the living in far flung areas of the state.
There have been isolated moves by successive government stop this over a century old practice which is a drain on the exchequer, but they have not succeeded.
There are divergent views on the six monthly shifting of the capital. Some people argue that it is not possible for the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions to travel all the way to snowbound Srinagar in the winter season to attend to administrative work. (ANI)
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