J&K orders reopening of 'Darbar Move' offices in Srinagar, employees to work on 'as is where is' basis

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday ordered the formal opening of the annual Darbar Move offices in summer capital Srinagar on May 4 but employees shall work on "as is where is" basis.

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

In view of the extraordinary circumstances due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Civil Secretariat at Jammu shall continue to remain functional and the Move employees shall work on "as is where is" basis i.e. Kashmir-based staff shall work from Srinagar and Jammu-based from Jammu, the order issued by the General Administrative department (GAD) said.

Further, Move offices outside the Civil Secretariat shall also continue to remain functional in Jammu and Srinagar, as per the aforementioned mechanism.

"Administrative Secretaries shall make necessary arrangements to ensure the functionality in their respective departments, both at Srinagar and Jammu," the order said, adding that similar arrangements shall be put in place by the Heads of the Departments observing Darbar Move.

The Civil Secretariat Treasury and J&K Bank Moving Branch at Civil Secretariat shall be functional at both the places within the Civil Secretariat at Jammu and Srinagar. The Finance Department shall put in place a suitable mechanism for the purpose, it said.

The order said that the dispensary of the Civil Secretariat shall remain functional at both the places within the Civil Secretariat. "The Health & Medical Education Department shall put in place a suitable mechanism for the purpose," it added.

The order said that the Move-based employees of Kashmir Division, who are required to move to Srinagar on account of Darbar Move on 25th and 26th April 2020, shall be provided transportation facility by the JKRTC. "Such employees shall provide their particulars to the General Administration Department for issuance of appropriate passes, if required, for movement on the national highway," it said.

Further, the Estates Department shall provide accommodation to the officers and officials, as per the requirement.

Whereas, the Move employees shall be entitled to use of ration card at one place i.e. either at Jammu or in Srinagar only as per his and her convenience, for which the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs shall facilitate surrender and reissue of ration cards, the order said.

The Srinagar Municipal Corporation shall carry out extensive sanitation and fumigation drives in the Civil Secretariat, other Move offices and the residential colonies along with the hotels, in which accommodation is provided to the employees, before the opening of offices at Srinagar on 04 May, 2020, the order said. "Director Estates shall provide the list of the residential colonies and hotels to the Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation for the purpose."

The office timing of Civil Secretariat at Jammu and Srinagar shall be from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and for offices of all Heads of the Departments located outside the Civil Secretariat and observing six days a week shall be 10 am to 4:30 pm, the order said.

"The above arrangement shall be reviewed after assessing the extent and spread of Covid-19 after 15 June 2020," it added. 

Image Credits: PTI