Covid-19 pandemic further delays 'Darbar Move' shifting to Kashmir

For the first time in the 148 years that civil secretariat has not been shifted from Kashmir valley from Jammu region in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir amid coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Srinagar: The Coronavirus pandemic which has paralysed life in the world has delayed shifting of the civil secretariat to Kashmir valley from Jammu region in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This for the first time in the 148 years of Darbar Move history that its opening in Srinagar has got delayed.

The government today, in an order, said that Darbar Move will reopen in JK's summer capital, Srinagar, on June 15. As a norm, the civil secretariat would reopen in Srinagar in the first week of May, but the Covid-19 pandemic compelled the government to delay it's opening by over a month.

The General administrative department of the civil secretariat said that the shifting of Darbar Move on its scheduled time, which is May 5, “may affect Covid-19 control efforts in the Union Territory”.

Last week, the government had ordered the formal opening of the annual Darbar Move offices in summer capital Srinagar on May 4 but had asked the employees to work on "as is where is" basis.

As per the previous order, the employees belonging to Kashmir will only move to the Valley this year, while employees belonging to the Jammu division serving in such offices will work on an 'as is where is' basis.

“The formal opening of the Darbar Move at Srinagar will take place on 15 June. All officers assigned specific COVID-19 control tasks shall continue to function from their present location till further orders, so as to ensure that COVID-19 control efforts are not hampered on account of physical dislocation of officers/ offices,” the order issued today, said.

It said that the Civil Secretariat at Srinagar shall start partial functioning on May 5 with the staff/officers on 'as is where is' basis that is those who have already been or likely to get relocated before the date.

The order said that the Administrative Secretaries shall furnish a list of the officers/staff who shall work from Srinagar and Jammu respectively to the General Administrative department by 21 April.

It further said that the officers concerned shall assign work to officers and staff at Srinagar and Jammu accordingly to obtain maximum efficiency and minimum disruption.

The Administrative Secretaries will put in place robust online and electronic, video conferencing and other communication modes at Jammu and Srinagar to ensure a virtual office at both the places.

The government said that the arrangement shall be reviewed on June 15 when a clear picture on the extent and spread of COVID-19 emerges.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had termed the previous order of the government as "mindless rubbish".

“This order regarding the bi-annual 'durbar move' is just mindless rubbish at worst & needless tokenism at best. So the offices can’t shift to Srinagar because of #Covid_19, I get that. What I don’t get is what Srinagar secretariat will do without files or senior officers?”

“This order of two 'functioning secretariats' will just create confusion because no one will know which secretariat to approach to get their work done. It would be better to withdraw this order & just delay the move of offices till the #Covid_19 threat has passed.”

Jammu and Kashmir is the only place in the country with two capitals-Srinagar and Jammu- where every year the secretariat is shifted: in May to Srinagar and October-November to Jammu.

This traditional practice of Darbar Move has been in vogue since 1872 when then Dogra autocrat ruler Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh had started it. It incurs over 200 crore of expenditure biannually.

Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had in 1987 tried to stop this practice when he had issued orders to keep the secretariat open in Srinagar throughout the year. However, the decision evoked an angry reaction in the Jammu region where lawyers and political parties agitated against it, forcing Abdullah to rescind the decision.