Jammu, Oct 30: After a hiatus of four years, Jammu and Kashmir will witness its historic bi-annual practice of ‘Darbar Move’ setting in motion with the closure of the offices, observing five days a week, at Srinagar on Friday after office hours.
However, the offices observing six days a week will close on November 1, 2025, after office hours.
All the offices will reopen at Jammu on November 3, 2025.
The closure of offices will follow the process of ‘transportation of employees’ on November 1 and 2, 2025, for which the J&K Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) has already made adequate arrangements.
As a part of the full Darbar Move, 39 offices, including the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and all other departments of the Civil Secretariat, will move to Jammu ‘in full’ while 47 departments will move ‘in camp’.
The offices moving in camp will carry only 33 percent of the staff strength in that particular office, or 10 officials, whichever is minimum, or otherwise as specified.
Darbar Move practice – one of its kind – was initiated 147 years ago by a Dogra Maharaja with strategic and climatic considerations.
However, it was scrapped by the administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in 2021 with the assertion that it would save Rs 200 crore of the State exchequer.
Initially, the LG’s administration, through its orders issued in April 2021, had deferred the Darbar Move for the summer session 2021 because of the COVID-19 situation in J&K.
However, later the practice was fully scrapped with the directions that “move offices of Heads of the Departments, which move ‘in full’ and also the offices which move ‘in camp’, would continue to remain functional both at Jammu as well as Srinagar.”
Following it, the LG said that the J&K administration had completely transitioned to e-Office, thereby ending the practice of hundreds of years old ‘Darbar Move’.
“Now both the Jammu and Srinagar secretariats can function normally for 12 months. This will save the government Rs 200 crore per year, which will be used for the welfare of the deprived sections,” LG Sinha had said.
The decision had not gone down well with the people, particularly the business community of Jammu.
During the 2024 assembly elections, the promise of restoration of the ‘Darbar Move’ exercise was part of the election manifestos of both the National Conference (NC) as well as Congress, both pre-election alliance partners.
However, in November 2024, the elected government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah could not restore the full ‘Darbar Move’.
Finally, this year on October 16, the day his government completed its one year in office, CM Omar, in a news conference in Jammu, announced the resumption of the full Darbar Move.
Within hours of his announcement, the General Administration Department (GAD) also issued an order pertaining to the schedule of the annual move of offices from Srinagar to Jammu for the winter season 2025-26.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Darbar Move to Jammu, the government has also issued rosters of Ministers and Administrative Secretaries, who will remain available at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, for November.
Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Cooperative and Election Departments, Javid Ahmad Dar, will remain available at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, from November 3 to 7, 2025.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, School Education, Higher Education and Social Welfare Departments, Sakeena Masood Itoo, will remain available from November 10 to 14; Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Transport, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Youth Services and Sports and ARI and Trainings Departments, Satish Sharma from November 17 to 21, and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary from November 24 to 28, 2025, will be available at Civil Secretariat, Srinagar.
Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Tribal Affairs Departments, Javed Ahmed Rana, will remain available there from December 1 to 5, 2025.
In the case of Darbar Move employees, the GAD has already specified that special Move TA will be paid at the uniform rate of Rs 25,000 per move employee.
However, Special Move TA will not be payable to such employees who do not move before or within the prescribed date. Advance pay will also be authorised in favour of such non-gazetted moving employees who may apply for the same, which will be recoverable in installments as per rules.
No leave will be admissible in combination or continuation of move days except under very exceptional circumstances.
However, five days of special casual leave will be granted in favour of Kashmir-based move employees or those not having accommodation at Jammu, who may wish to avail the same.
