J&K government on Friday ordered opening of the Darbar Move offices in summer capital Srinagar on May 4. However, for the first time, move employees of Jammu division have been allowed to work from the winter capital on “as is where is” basis “in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic.” The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the order announcing the Darbar Move. In view of the extraordinary circumstances due to COVID19 pandemic, arrangements (are being made) to ensure transaction of the government business effectively,” reads the order, referring to the “as is where is” arrangement. The government said the arrangements as part of bi-annual practice will be reviewed after June 15 and until then the civil secretariat at Jammu will continue to remain functional. “The move employees will work on as is where is basis i.e. Kashmir based staff shall work from Srinagar and Jammu based staff shall work from Jammu,” reads the order. As per the order, administrative secretaries will make necessary arrangements to ensure functionality in their respective departments, both at Srinagar and Jammu.“Similar arrangements will be put in place by Heads of Departments observing Darbar Move,” reads the order.The civil secretariat Treasury and J&K Bank Moving Branch at the secretariat will remain functional both in Jammu and Srinagar. The finance department has been asked to put in place suitable mechanism for the purpose.Though officials remained tightlipped, working of Treasury and J&K Bank at both the places has lead to apprehension among officials and employees whether the government plans to bifurcate the civil secretariat. There was no official word on the matter.The GAD has also mentioned in the order that the dispensary of the civil secretariat will remain functional at both the places within the civil secretariat, while the move-based employees of Kashmir, who are required to move to Srinagar on account of Darbar Move on April 25 and 26 will be provided transport facility by Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC).
“Such employees will provide their particulars to the General Administration Department for issuance of appropriate passes, if required, for movement on Jammu-Srinagar highway,” reads the order.The estates department will provide accommodation to the officials as per requirement whereas the move employees will be entitled for use of ration card at one place, either Jammu or Srinagar.However, there is confusion among the officials on transfer of records.“There is no mention of shifting official records to Srinagar in today’s order. It is not possible to work without records. All the government records of different departments are in Jammu,” said an official.The official said what will they will do in Srinagar move offices without the records.The practice of Darbar Move, under which government functions in Jammu during six months of winter and in Srinagar during the summer, was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to escape extreme weather conditions in the two regions.As per 148-year old practice, the secretariat and all other important offices in J&K shift from one capital to another.The Raj Bhavan, civil secretariat and more than 50 offices are part of the Durbar Move. The practice has come under question on several occasions in the past.Jammu-based political parties have always demanded that civil secretariat should be separated and allowed to work from both Jammu as well as Srinagar so that people can be facilitated as much as possible.In 1987 the Farooq Abdullah led government floated the idea to bring an end to the practice and constituted a committee to look into the matter. In its report, the committee pointed out that the exercise wastes nearly six to eight weeks of precious official time in packaging, moving and then settling down to work.In 2012 the then chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned the wisdom of Darbar Move, saying “It is wastage of money and escapist move.”
