Darbar Move: Kashmir government staff gear up for annual journey to plains of Jammu

Thousands of Jammu and Kashmir government employees are preparing for the annual Darbar Move from Srinagar to Jammu. Srinagar is the summer capital, while Jammu serves as the winter capital. The move matters because it transfers much of the Union Territory’s administration before winter begins.

Offices with a five-day work week will finish in Srinagar on October 30. Offices working six days a week will close there on October 31. The government has arranged buses, advance ticket booking, police escorts, medical stations, and accommodation for the travelling staff.

Employees will resume duties in Jammu on November 2. The Civil Secretariat and Heads of Departments in Jammu will work from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A Winter Secretariat will remain in Srinagar, staffed by selected officials, so administrative work continues there during the winter session.

The Darbar Move is the bi-annual shifting of the Civil Secretariat and other Union Territory offices between Srinagar and Jammu. Government offices move to Jammu before winter, then return to Srinagar in summer. The practice is described as 150 years old.

The article identifies Srinagar as the summer capital and Jammu as the winter capital. This seasonal arrangement means the administration operates from one location during warmer months and another as winter approaches. The move includes entire departments, smaller staff groups, and support services.

The article does not give a fuller historical explanation for choosing these two cities. It does show the practical effects of the arrangement: winter travel is planned along the Srinagar-Jammu route, with buses, escorts, tunnel priority, medical aid, and accommodation organized for employees moving south.

This year’s Darbar Move involves thousands of employees, 41 offices moving in full, and 50 offices moving “in camp” with limited staffing. Hundreds of police personnel will also participate. The scale makes the transfer a major administrative and logistical operation.

Departments in the Civil Secretariat, including the Chief Minister’s secretariat, are among the 41 full-move offices. Camp offices may take only 33% of their total staff strength, or 10 officials, whichever is lower, unless an exception is approved. Several departments, boards, and corporations fall into this category.

The numbers show that the administration is not moving uniformly. Full-move offices transfer their operations, while camp offices retain a smaller presence. A Winter Secretariat also keeps selected staff in Srinagar, including one gazetted officer and four non-gazetted officials from each Administrative Department, subject to approval.

Most departments will shift their main operations to Jammu for winter, but administrative work will continue in Srinagar. The government has ordered a Winter Secretariat at the Civil Secretariat there. This arrangement prevents the seasonal transfer from leaving Srinagar without any administrative presence.

Each Administrative Department must identify one gazetted officer and four non-gazetted officials to remain in Srinagar. Their retention requires prior approval from the competent authority. Departments are asked to give preference, where feasible, to female employees and people with serious medical conditions.

Public services will therefore be divided between the two cities. Jammu will host the relocated Civil Secretariat and Heads of Departments, working from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Srinagar will retain a smaller administrative team, while ration counters and other support services are arranged for employees who move to Jammu.

The government stopped the 150-year-old Darbar Move five years ago because shifting offices and government operations twice a year cost nearly Rs 200 crore from the public exchequer. Ending the practice was intended to remove that recurring expense.

The tradition returned last year and is being organized again this year. The order divides offices into full-move and camp categories, limits staff in camp offices, provides travel allowances, and arranges transport and security. These measures structure the renewed seasonal transfer.

The article does not provide a specific explanation for why the practice was brought back. It only records that the tradition made a comeback last year and continues under the current arrangement. Employees receive a fixed Move Travel Allowance of Rs 25,000, but only if they move by the prescribed deadline.

The Darbar Move depends on several government agencies working together. The Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation, or JKRTC, must provide buses. The J&K Police escorts convoys and helps them receive priority through two tunnels. The Estates Department arranges accommodation in Jammu.

The Health and Medical Education Department must provide medical assistance at Qazigund, Banihal, Ramsu, Ramban, Chenani, Udhampur, and Jhajjar Kotli. Each convoy will also have a crane, two empty buses, and mobile workshop facilities. These arrangements address illness, breakdowns, and other travel problems.

The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department will establish ration counters near employees’ residential colonies in Jammu. JKRTC begins advance ticket booking on October 27. The General Administration Department issues the move order, while departments identify staff for full transfer or Srinagar retention.

The article identifies Srinagar as the summer capital and Jammu as the winter capital. It says offices move to Jammu before winter and return to Srinagar in summer. This seasonal arrangement is the basis of the Darbar Move, but the article does not explain its deeper historical or geographic origin.

Climate clearly sets the timing: employees finish work in Srinagar at the end of October, before winter, and resume in Jammu on November 2. The journey follows the Srinagar-Jammu route. Police will ensure priority passage through the Banihal-Qazigund and Syama Prasad Mookerjee tunnels.

Travel planning reflects the route’s demands. Convoys receive cranes, spare buses, mobile workshops, and police escorts. Medical assistance is positioned from Qazigund through Jammu-bound locations. These details show how winter timing and the road journey shape the annual transfer, without establishing additional reasons beyond the article.