J&K government packs its bags for Jammu

The Jammu and Kashmir civil secretariat and other government offices closed down in Srinagar on Friday as part of century-old bi-annual 'Darbar Move' and will reopen in Jammu early next month.

The shifting of the civil secretariat, which closed on Friday afternoon and will reopen in Jammu November 6, is an age-old practice under which the government functions six months each from Srinagar and Jammu during summer and winter months respectively, an official spokesman said.

This tradition was established by the Dogra kings of the state to escape the extreme heat of Jammu region in summer and extreme cold of Kashmir during winter. However, it is estimated that the exercise puts a burden of Rs 10 crore annually on the state exchequer.

The civil secretariat employees also get an additional 15 days off as against the permanently-stationed state government employees. They also get a week off as grace period every April and October on account of the shifting.