CM Omar takes charge at winter capital
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Secretariat and other key government offices resumed functioning in Jammu on Monday as part of the revived biannual Darbar Move, marking the return of the nearly 160-year-old administrative tradition to the winter capital.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah formally resumed work at the Civil Secretariat after being accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by a contingent of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. He inspected the parade before proceeding to his office to attend to official business.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Cabinet Ministers, Acting Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Deputy Commissioner Jammu and senior civil and police officers were present on the occasion.
With the reopening of the Civil Secretariat, the offices of the Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues, the Chief Secretary, commissioners and other senior bureaucrats have shifted to Jammu for the winter months. The Darbar Move offices had closed in Srinagar on October 30.
The biannual practice of shifting government offices between Srinagar and Jammu was introduced by the erstwhile Dogra Maharajas and continued for nearly 160 years before being discontinued in 2021 by the then Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
The tradition was revived in 2025 after the elected government headed by Omar Abdullah assumed office. Its restoration was among the electoral promises made by the National Conference in its 2024 Assembly election manifesto.
Besides the Civil Secretariat, offices of major government departments and institutions, including the Director General of Police, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Crime Branch, Traffic Police, Home Guards and Fire and Emergency Services, also move to Jammu during winter.
The offices of the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court likewise shift to the winter capital.
Meanwhile, a winter secretariat, manned by a senior bureaucrat on a rotational basis, will continue functioning in Srinagar to ensure uninterrupted supplies of essential commodities and address public grievances.
The Darbar Move has traditionally been considered significant for Jammu’s economy, with traders and business organisations maintaining that the presence of the government machinery in the winter months provides a boost to commercial activity in the region.
