Civil Secretariat closed in the summer capital Srinagar, opened in winter capital Jammu

The Civil Secretariat, which houses the offices of the Chief Minister, Ministers and senior bureaucrats, resumed functioning in Jammu as part of the Darbar Move from Srinagar to Jammu. CM Omar Abdullah was given guard of honour as the Civil Secretariat resumed functioning. He also toured various offices and interacted with the officials on the opening of Darbar Move. It was a 154-year-old practice introduced by the Dogra rulers of the erstwhile state in 1872. The practice of shifting the seat of power from Srinagar to Jammu during Winter and vice versa in Summer was aimed at making the administration escape the harsh Winters of Kashmir and the heat of Jammu on the one hand, and also ensuring that its functionaries were available at the doorsteps of people in both regions of the erstwhile state. The practice was discontinued by the Lt Governor’s administration in 2021 on the grounds of the administration’s transition to e-office and the need to save crores of rupees spent on the Darbar Move every year. The practice was later resumed.