J-K govt to shift to winter capital Jammu by Oct-end

Civil Secretariat - the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government and other offices - will close in summer capital Srinagar on October 25 and reopen in Jammu on November 5, an official spokesman said here.

Darbar move is more than a century-old practice under which the government functions six months each from Jammu and Srinagar towns, incurring expenses of over Rs 100 crore on the transportation of records and employees.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, had in a Tweet questioned the wisdom of the 140-year-old exercise.

On April 19, Omar tweeted, "Do I think the 'Durbar move' is a waste of money? Yes, I do. Is there an alternative? I haven't seen a viable alternative suggested."

He also termed the practice "escapist". "I agree. We run away when people need us most and face the most difficulty. The durbar move is escapist," he tweeted.

Quoting an order issued by General Administration Department, an official spokesman said government offices observing five-day week will close on October 25 after office hours.

"In case, October 26 is a working day, all offices (observing five-day week and six-day week) shall close at Srinagar on October 26 after the office hours and reopen at Jammu on November 5," the spokesman said.

He said all departments have been directed to ensure that records are packed in boxes after working hours on the last working day.

The State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) has been asked to make available sufficient number of buses in good condition for transportation of employees. SRTC will also make available trucks for shifting records from Srinagar to Jammu.