JK Secretariat to open in Jammu from Monday

Jammu, Nov 3 (UNI) The Civil Secretariat and other related offices of the Jammu and Kashmir government, under the biannual Darbar Move practice, will be opened here from Monday.

The Civil Secretariat and other government offices had closed on October 26 at the summer capital, Srinagar. Nearly 10,000 government officials, including top bureaucrats and employees, will reach here for the next six months.

Security arrangements at the secretariat and the surrounding areas have been beefed up and section 144 imposed, police said, adding vehicular traffic have been diverted to other routes.

The Darbar move, a practice started in 1872 during Maharaja Ranbir Singh's rule between the two state capitals Srinagar and Jammu, has turned out to be a costly affair.

According to official sources, the centuries-old practice of shifting of offices from Srinagar to Jammu during the winters and summer seasons costs the state exchequer Rs 50 crore every year.

UNI