Srinagar, October 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday announced the annual Darbar Move, with offices in Srinagar scheduled to close on October 30 and 31 and reopen in Jammu on November 2.
Under the arrangement, offices observing a five-day workweek will close in Srinagar after working hours on Friday, October 30, while those following a six-day workweek will close on Saturday, October 31.
According to an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), offices shifting to Jammu will move only 33 per cent of their staff strength or 10 officials, whichever is fewer, unless otherwise specified.
The Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) has been directed to arrange sufficient buses in good condition to transport employees on October 31 and November 1. Tickets will be available in advance from October 27. Each convoy will also be accompanied by a crane, two empty buses and mobile workshop facilities.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police will escort the convoys and ensure priority passage through the Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel. Employees participating in the move will receive a uniform special travel allowance of Rs 25,000 per employee.
October salaries for employees working in move offices will be drawn on October 29. The GAD will establish a Winter Secretariat at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar, with each department retaining one gazetted and four non-gazetted employees.
After reopening in Jammu, office hours will be 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. for the Civil Secretariat and heads of departments located within its premises. Moving heads of departments outside the Civil Secretariat that observe a six-day workweek will function from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
The Darbar Move is a decades-old practice under which government offices shift between Srinagar, the summer capital, and Jammu, the winter capital. The practice, which dates back more than 150 years to the Dogra Maharajas, was discontinued in 2019 by the Lieutenant Governor. The Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government restored it after taking office in 2024, fulfilling a promise in its election manifesto.
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