SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government today started functioning from here after shifting from winter capital Jammu as part of pre-independence biannual Darbar Move practice.
Raj Bhavan, Civil Secretariat and other offices, which had closed in Jammu on April 25, opened here as per the darbar move, a century-old practice under which government functions six month each in the two capitals.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inspected the traditional guard of honour inside the Civil Secretariat premises to mark the opening of the offices, officials said.
However, this time there was no customary interaction of the chief minister with the journalists due to model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections being in force. The media persons were not allowed to enter the Civil Secretariat premises.
The government will function in the summer capital till late October and then move to Jammu, the winter capital of the state, in the first week of November.
Authorities have made all necessary arrangements including security to ensure smooth functioning of the offices in the Kashmir Valley, which witnessed a spurt in militant activities including killing of political workers during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
On the reopening of offices, work will begin from 9.30
AM to 5 PM at the Civil Secretariat, officials said, adding that for other departments located outside the Secretariat, work will begin from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Voices have been raised against the Darbar Move, a practice started by the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir in 1872 to escape the extreme weather conditions of Jammu in summer and Kashmir in winter.
The practice has been seen as a burden on the state exchequer as crores of rupees are spent on transportation volumes of official records and employees between the twin capital cities twice every year.
The administrative aspect of governance also suffers for almost two months every year as the employees get nearly three weeks of extra holidays for travelling from one capital city to another.
(AGENCIES)
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