Srinagar: The government on Saturday directed the Administrative Secretaries to ensure availability of staff for smooth functioning of Civil Secretariat Srinagar and Jammu with effect from May 1.
“The Civil Secretariat shall continue to remain functional at both places and the Administrative Secretaries shall ensure arrangements for smooth functioning of offices at both places viz; Srinagar and Jammu,” reads a government order.
The Administrative Secretaries, it said, shall ensure their availability at Civil Secretariat, Srinagar w.e.f. 1st May, 2024. However, they will attend the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, as per the functional requirement.
The arrangements with regard to availability of staff of Administrative Departments of Civil Secretariat shall be determined by the respective Departments, ensuring smooth conduct of official business at both places, with bare minimum shifting of staff, it said.
The Estates Department, upon requisition by the concerned Administrative Departments shall provide accommodation to the officers/officials, as per requirement, only where necessary, it added.
The 148-year-old Darbar Move involving shifting the capital between Srinagar and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir was abolished in June 2021.
The shifting process used to be a complicated one in which files were moved from one place to another. Government has said since that because of the two bi-annual capitals, all goods were transported by trucks and, as a result, government spending increased.
As per the practice, the Civil Secretariat and some other government offices used to function for six months of Summer in Srinagar and six months of winter in Jammu. The government estimates revealed that nearly Rs 200 crore was spent on the Darbar Move practice every yearwhich has been saved by ending the shifting. However, now the Civil Secretariat functions from both Jammu and Srinagar.

KR Desk