Work in Srinagar's civil secretariat to resume Thusday

The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet met here Monday as the the civil secretariat in summer capital Srinagar has been closed since Sep 7 due to the massive floods, an official statement said here, adding that work will resume from Thursday.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, condoled the loss of lives in the floods and hailed relief and rescue works being done by the armed forces and other central agencies.

"The cabinet expressed complete solidarity with the flood affected people and firmly resolved to rebuild livelihoods, private properties and public infrastructure," the statement said.

"It also thanked the government of India for the support given to the state and the help rendered in this hour of crises. The efforts of the Army, Air Force, the NDRF... all other stakeholders were deeply appreciated," it added.

The cabinet also reiterated the requirements of sanctioning more central relief for the flood-hit people.

"The cabinet decided that the state government shall start functioning from the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, from Sep 18.

"It was also decided that no holidays shall be observed on Saturdays and Sundays in the state government offices in the Kashmir Valley, except educational institutions, till the closure of offices on account of 'Darbar Move'."

The Darbar Move, a century-old practice under which the state government functions six month each in the two capitals - summer capital Srinagar and winter capital Jammu.

The statement said: "Considering the enormity of the clean up and sanitation operations in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation areas, it was decided to divide these areas into three zones...."