Loading of official record in trucks at Srinagar’s civil secretariat was being done on Saturday for being transported to Jammu which will be the winter capital of the Jammu and Kashmir UT for six months.
The civil secretariat closed in Srinagar on Friday as part of the bi-annual ‘Durbar move’, a practice started by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872.
The offices observing 5-days week closed on Friday and those which function for 6-days closed for move to Jammu on Saturday.
The secretariat will reopen in Jammu on 9 November.
The practice of bi-annualove of offices was started by the Dogra ruler to escape the extreme heat of Jammu during summers and biting cold of winters in Srinagar.
However, the practice continued post-Independence as the issue gradually turned emotive and political in both regions.
Crores of rupees are spent every year to shift the entire records between the two capital cities twice a year. Huge amount of money is also paid as shift allowance to employees. The High Court had recently told the government to find some way to prevent the wasteful expenditure.
Demand for abolishing the practice and setting up permanent civil secretariats in Jammu and Srinagar have been made from time to time but political compulsions have come in the way.
Durbar Move from Jammu to Srinagar was delayed this summer due to Covid-19 pandemic as employees belonging to Jammu were hesitant to go to Srinagar where the pandemic was raging.