Jammu: In continuance with the century-old tradition of bi-annual shifting of the state capital, the Jammu and Kashmir civil secretariat and other offices will reopen here Monday amid tight security arrangements.
The offices of civil secretariat, Raj Bhawan, state legislature and DGP, which were moved from Srinagar to Jammu, will reopen in the winter capital Jammu, officials said yesterday.
Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders around the secretariat in view of the reports that several organisations plan to hold anti-government protest rallies in the city.
The practice of `darbar` (capital) move was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to escape extreme weather conditions of Jammu during summer and harsh winter of Srinagar. The offices closed in the Srinagar last week of October.
Over 5,300 employees and truck loads of records were shifted from Srinagar to Jammu. Over Rs 10 crore were spent for the shifting.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had in April termed the shifting of the state capital between Jammu and Srinagar twice every year as "waste of money", but said no viable alternative to the arrangement has come forth so far.
"Do I think the `Durbar move` (shifting of capital) is a waste of money? Yes I do. Is there an alternative? I haven`t seen a viable alternative suggested," Omar has said.
PTI
