Srinagar: With winter knocking on the doors of the Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir administration is all set for its seasonal shift to the winter capital. According to official updates, the special convoy carrying ‘Darbar Move’ employees will depart from Srinagar to Jammu on October 31 and November 1.
Authorities have finalized all logistical and security arrangements to ensure a smooth and hassle-free transit for the government employees relocating to Jammu for the next six months. The offices at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar are scheduled to wrap up their summer operations by the end of October, before reopening in Jammu in the first week of November.
Special Traffic and Security Arrangements
Given the scale of the movement along the strategic Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44), the administration has directed the concerned departments to work in close coordination. A fleet of Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) buses has been kept on standby to ferry the employees safely to their destination.
Security forces will maintain a tight vigil along the highway during these two days to ensure an incident-free passage for the convoy. Meanwhile, the Traffic Police Department is expected to regulate normal vehicular movement on October 31 and November 1 to prevent any bottlenecks along the route, especially around the Banihal-Ramban stretch.
The Transition to e-Office
Historically, the century-old practice of the ‘Darbar Move’ involved shifting hundreds of truckloads of physical files twice a year between the two capitals. However, with the successful implementation of the e-Office system in recent years, the physical transportation of records has been discontinued, saving massive costs to the state exchequer. Now, only the designated staff required for administrative continuity makes the seasonal move.
General commuters planning to travel on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on October 31 and November 1 are advised to check the latest traffic advisory before starting their journey.
