Civil Secretariat, other offices reopen in Jammu amid tight security

Jammu Mov, 09 (PTK) Amid tight security arrangements, Civil Secretariat– the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government– and other offices reopened here on Monday after functioning for six months in Srinagar as part of the nearly 150-year-old practice locally known as ‘Darbar Move’.

Accotding zo PTK, The bi-annual shift is the 2nd after the state’s bifurcation into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh which came into existence on October 31 last year.

Manoj Sinha who assumed office as the 2nd Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir inspected the traditional guard of honour given to him by a police contingent at the civil secretariat lawns at sharp 9.30 am, marking the opening of move offices here.

The secretariat and other government offices closed in Srinagar in last week after functioning there for around 6 months. The other offices which resumed functioning here include Raj Bhavan and the Police headquarters.
Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength in the city, especially on the roads leading to the Civil Secretariat as part of security measures to ensure the smooth functioning of the administration from Jammu.

The practice of ‘Darbar Move’– under which the government functions in Jammu during six months of winter and in Srinagar during summer– was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to escape extreme weather conditions in the two regions.

However, the practice was continued even after Independence with the aim of providing governance benefits to both Kashmir and Jammu regions for six months by turns.

While Jammu and Srinagar cities benefit from this practice as the roads and other infrastructure gets the basic minimum repairs done on an annual basis, the Darbar Move incurs expenditure of crores of rupees.(PTK)