Darbar Move offices reopen in Jammu

Jammu, Nov 2: As part of the 152-year-old tradition of the biannual shifting of government offices between Srinagar and Jammu and vice versa, the Darbar Move offices, including the Civil Secretariat, which houses the offices of Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister, Ministers, and top bureaucrats, reopened here on Monday.
The Civil Secretariat and other government offices, which had closed in Srinagar on October 30 and 31, reopened in Jammu and will function from here for the next six months as part of the long-standing tradition.
On reaching the Civil Secretariat in the morning, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour.
The Chief Minister inspected the ceremonial parade presented by a contingent of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Civil Secretariat.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, ministers, Acting Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Deputy Commissioner Jammu, and senior officers of the civil administration and police were present on the occasion.
Soon after the ceremony, the Chief Minister proceeded directly to his office to attend to official business.
The Darbar Move practice was introduced in 1872 by Maharaja Ranbir Singh and has remained a distinctive feature of Jammu and Kashmir’s administrative system.
After 1947, Dogra rule came to an end, but the practice of shifting offices between the erstwhile state’s two capitals continued.
In 1987, the Farooq Abdullah-led government mooted the idea of abolishing the Darbar Move, but the proposal was met with fierce opposition in Jammu, forcing the government to abandon the plan.
In 2021, the government abolished the Darbar Move practice, but it was revived in 2025.
Meanwhile, Speaker Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, was accorded a warm and enthusiastic welcome by senior officers and staff of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on the first day of opening of Darbar Move offices in the winter capital, Jammu.
The Speaker was received by senior officers and officials of the Assembly Secretariat, who extended greetings on the commencement of the winter functioning of the Assembly Secretariat in Jammu.
Interacting with the officers and staff, the Speaker appreciated their dedication and commitment towards ensuring the smooth and efficient functioning of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat. He emphasised the importance of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and efficiency in discharge of the official responsibilities.
The Speaker called for close coordination among all branches of the Secretariat to ensure timely disposal of official business and seamless delivery of services. He also underscored the need to maintain a responsive, transparent and public-oriented institutional approach while facilitating the smooth conduct of legislative affairs.
He wished the officers and staff a productive and successful tenure during the winter Darbar Move. He expressed confidence that the Legislative Secretariat would continue to uphold the dignity, traditions and institutional responsibilities of the Legislature.