Ibni Maqbool
Srinagar, Oct 22: In a first, the administration of Jammu & Kashmir has decided against moving Assembly Secretariat between the Union twin capitals of the Union Territory as part of the bi-annual Darbar Move practice.
In a communique to secretary, Legislative Assembly, the Jammu & Kashmir government has conveyed him that that there is no need to move Assembly secretariat to Jammu, because the Assembly is not presently in place.
“There is no requirement of moving the J&K Assembly secretariat to Jammu with the Annual Darbar Move, 2020 since no Assembly is presently in place in J&K,” reads the General Administration Department’s advice to Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
This is for the first time since creation of J&K Assembly that move of its employees has been abandoned.
In nineties, when Jammu & Kashmir was under direct Central rule for six long years, the assembly secretariat would move bi-annually between Srinagar and Jammu and vice-versa.
As part of practice started in 1872, the important government offices of Jammu & Kashmir function for six months in Srinagar and for same period in Jammu. From May to October, governmental offices are housed in the UT’s summer capital, Srinagar, and the other six months in its winter capital, Jammu.
As per order issued by the General Administration Department on October 6 this year, 48 offices will move in full to Jammu and 56 offices in camp.
It is worthwhile to mention here that J&K is without its Assembly for the past two years.
In the erstwhile state of J&K, then Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the assembly on November 21, 2018 after rival claims to form the government from former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone.
The House was dissolved more than five months after it was put under suspended animation following BJP’s withdrawal of support to Mehbooba Mufti-led government.
On August 5, the constitutional and legal changes effected by the BJP-led Centre government protected J&K Assembly but increased number of elected MLAs from 83 to 90.
But it abolished the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, which was part of the bi-cameral legislature of the erstwhile state.
Presently, delimitation exercise is underway to fix boundaries of assembly segments and reserve seats for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.