Jammu, Nov 4:
All necessary security arrangements have been put in place as the Civil Secretariat, seat of the Jammu and Kashmir government, will reopen here on Monday after a 10-day break owing to the bi-annual ‘Darbar Move’. The Civil Secretariat, Raj Bhavan and other Darbar Move offices closed in Srinagar on October 26 after six months functioning there. The ‘Darbar Move’ was started by the then Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to escape the extreme heat during summers in Jammu and biting cold of winters in Srinagar. The practice was continued by elected governments post-independence to provide governance benefits — by turns– to both Kashmir and Jammu regions of the state for six months. All necessary security and other arrangements have been made to ensure smooth functioning of the government from here, officials said. They said the security agencies have worked out their strategy to deal with any kind of law and order situation and maintain peace in the city. In the aftermath of the killing of a senior BJP leader and his brother by suspected militants in Kishtwar district on Thursday night, the security situation was reviewed afresh across the Jammu region in view of the Darbar Move, the officials said. Besides special checking points at various places in the city, additional policemen have been deployed in and around vital installations and thoroughfares, including the Civil Secretariat, the officials said. They said closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been made operational to maintain a close vigil. Security has also been tightened along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the officials said. They said police have also chalked out its plan to deal with protests by striking government employees and others on the opening day of the Civil
Darbar Move:
Secretariat. Rahbar-e-Taleem teachers forum has announced “secretariat gherao” on Monday to press for its various demands, including seventh pay commission benefits. Like yesteryears, the city of temples this time was also given a facelift to welcome the government. The wall painting has come up at various places in the city, while the secretariat along with other offices and quarters has been renovated. Besides the wall painting, many works like repair and black topping of roads, marking of yellow and white lines on the signals, plantation on dividers, cutting of ornamental plants on dividers to enhance the beauty and branch cutting alongside the roads was undertaken over the past several weeks.
The city also witnessed flower decor and installation of flower pots on bridges and various designated places and repair of defunct lights on flyovers and roads.
The state government spends crores of rupees every year to shift voluminous records between the two capital cities twice a year, besides paying similar amount as allowance for the several thousand employees who shift base with the government.
There have been demands from various quarters to abolish the practice and set up permanent civil secretariats in Jammu and Srinagar cities so that people can get redressal to their problems round the year while saving substantial amount of the public money.
