SRINAGAR: More than 100 government offices will resume functioning in Jammu on Monday as the annual Darbar Move shifts the administrative machinery to the winter capital for the six-month winter session of 2026–27.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is scheduled to receive a Guard of Honour from a Jammu and Kashmir Police contingent at the Civil Secretariat before the offices begin functioning. He is also expected to hold meetings with Council of Ministers members and administrative secretaries to review departmental functioning and assess administrative preparedness following the move.
The reopening marks the second consecutive year of the Darbar Move to Jammu since the elected government restored the biannual practice in November 2025, following its suspension in 2021.
The Chief Minister’s Secretariat and 40 other offices have moved to Jammu in full, while 50 specified offices have shifted in camp. The latter are carrying 33 per cent of their respective staff strength or 10 officials, whichever is fewer, unless otherwise specified.
The second batch of employees, along with important official records, arrived in Jammu on Sunday as scheduled. Offices observing a five-day week closed in Srinagar on October 30, while those following a six-day week shut on October 31.
Under the revised schedule, offices located within the Civil Secretariat, including the Heads of Departments operating from its premises, will function from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Moving Heads of Departments situated outside the Secretariat and observing a six-day week will work from 10 am to 4.30 pm.
The General Administration Department has, meanwhile, established a winter secretariat at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar to ensure that administrative work continues in the Valley during the winter period.
The Civil Secretariat complex and adjoining areas have been placed under heightened security arrangements ahead of the resumption of work. The opening day is also expected to include a customary press conference by the Chief Minister.
The Darbar Move, a practice introduced around 150 years ago by the Dogra Maharajas, involves the shifting of the seat of government between Srinagar and Jammu according to the seasons. The Lieutenant Governor-led administration discontinued the practice in 2021, citing an estimated annual saving of Rs 200 crore. The elected government revived it in 2025.
