J&K Darbar Move: Civil Secretariat to Reopen in Jammu on Nov 2
J&K Darbar Move: Civil Secretariat to Reopen in Jammu on Nov 2
Government Issues Detailed Winter Move Order; Rs 25,000 Travelling Allowance for Each Moving Employee, Special Leave and Transport, Security Arrangements Announced
Srinagar, Oct 20 : The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued detailed instructions for the annual Darbar Move of government offices from Srinagar to Jammu for the winter season 2026-27, outlining the schedule for closure and reopening of offices, staff deployment, transport and security arrangements, travelling allowance, accommodation, medical facilities and other administrative measures.
Government Order No. 1664-JK(GAD) of 2026, dated October 19, 2026, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), as per news agency JKNS, provides for the seasonal shifting of the Civil Secretariat and other designated offices to Jammu, with moving offices scheduled to resume work on November 2.
As per the order, offices observing a five-day week will close in Srinagar after office hours on October 30 (Friday), while those observing a six-day week will close after office hours on October 31 (Saturday). All moving offices will reopen in Jammu on November 2 (Monday).
Full and Camp Move of Government Offices
The order identifies two categories of offices for the annual exercise, those required to move in full and those directed to move on a camp basis.
Annexure-A lists offices required to move in full, including all departments of the Civil Secretariat and various key administrative, financial, technical, welfare and regulatory institutions.
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These include the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, personal staff of the Advisor to the Chief Minister, Civil Aviation, Civil Secretariat Dispensary, security staff, treasury, Rehabilitation Council and GP Fund Moving Cell, besides the Financial Commissioner Revenue, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Electoral Officer.
The list also covers the Directorates of Youth Services and Sports, Information, Motor Garages, Hospitality and Protocol, Accounts and Treasuries, Employment, Forest Protection Force, Skill Development and Forest Research Institute.
Other institutions designated for a full move include the Tribal Affairs Department, Labour Commissioner, Custodian General, Transport Commissioner, J&K e-Governance Agency, AIDS Control Society, Board of Technical Education and various advisory boards representing Pahari-speaking people, Gujjars and Bakerwals, Kisans and Other Backward Classes.
The Water Resources Regulatory Authority, One Man Forest Authority, Chief Engineers of Procurement and Material Management and Planning and Design, Training, Testing and Inspections, Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Samagra Shiksha, Women Development Corporation and Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) are also among the offices listed for a full move.
The list further includes the Drug and Food Control Organization, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Fee Structure Committee for Private Educational Institutions, Rural Sanitation, Food and Drug Administration, J&K Real Estate Regulatory Authority (JKRERA), Legal Metrology and Employees State Insurance Society, among other offices.
Camp Move: Limited Staff to Shift
Annexure-B specifies the offices that will move on a camp basis, with only a limited number of employees required to relocate to Jammu.
These include the Commissioner State Taxes, Excise Commissioner, Director Generals of Economics and Statistics and Audit and Inspection, and the Directorates of Family Welfare, Maternal and Child Health and Immunization, AYUSH, Soil Conservation, Environment and Remote Sensing, Sericulture, Horticulture (Planning and Marketing), Geology and Mining, Libraries and Research, Archives, Archaeology and Museums.
Other offices covered under the camp move include the Chief Architect, Financial Organization PDD, Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Funds Organization, Government Press Gazette Section, Registrar Cooperatives, Social Forestry, Services Selection Board, Board of Professional Entrance Examination and Pollution Control Committee.
The Socially and Economically Backward Classes Commission, Special Tribunal, Commercial Taxes Tribunal, Khadi and Village Industries Board, Housing Board, Chief Wildlife Warden, Fee Structure Committee for Professional Colleges, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants), Fisheries Department and Empowered Officer PMGSY are also covered.
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The National Health Mission, J&K Medical Supplies Corporation, Chief Engineer UEED, Skill Development Mission, Economic Reconstruction Agency, Mission Youth, Directorate General of Women and Child Development, Integrated Child Protection Scheme, Directorate of Colleges, Local Funds Audit and Pensions, Integrated Watershed Management Programme and State Council of Educational Research and Training are among the other institutions listed for a camp move.
According to the order, camp-moving offices will ordinarily take 33 per cent of their staff strength or a minimum of 10 officials, whichever is lower, unless a different arrangement has been specifically prescribed. Certain offices will move with skeletal or marginal staff, while others will determine their staff strength as directed by the respective chairperson or competent authority.
JKRTC to Arrange Buses; Booking from October 27
For the transportation of employees and their belongings, the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) has been directed to arrange a sufficient number of buses in good condition for October 31 and November 1.
Advance booking of buses will commence on October 27 at the Civil Secretariat and major JKRTC booking counters. Destination-wise booking will be arranged wherever feasible to facilitate the movement of employees.
The order further provides that each convoy will be accompanied by one crane, two empty buses and mobile workshop facilities to deal with vehicle breakdowns and other transport-related emergencies during the journey.
Police Escort and Priority for Move Convoy
The Jammu and Kashmir Police will provide escort to the entire Darbar Move convoy up to the respective destinations and ensure that the convoy receives precedence while crossing the Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel.
The Director General of Police, J&K, has been asked to issue the necessary instructions to field formations to ensure smooth movement, coordination and security during the exercise.
Medical Aid and Ration Facilities Along Route and in Jammu
The Health and Medical Education Department will establish medical aid facilities at Qazigund, Banihal, Ramsu, Ramban, Chenani, Udhampur and Jhajjar Kotli on the designated travel days to provide assistance to employees travelling to Jammu.
The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has also been directed to establish ration counters at appropriate locations around residential colonies of employees moving to Jammu, ensuring the availability of essential supplies.
Rs 25,000 Special Move Travelling Allowance
The government has prescribed a uniform Special Move Travelling Allowance of Rs 25,000 per moving employee.
The allowance will not be admissible to employees who fail to move before or within the prescribed period. The order also authorises advance pay for non-gazetted employees shifting to Jammu, subject to their application, with recovery to be made in instalments in accordance with the applicable rules.
To facilitate salary disbursement ahead of the move, the salary for October 2026 of employees working in moving offices will be drawn on October 29 (Thursday).
Leave Restrictions During Move Period
The order stipulates that leave will not ordinarily be admissible in combination with or continuation of the Darbar Move days. Exceptions may be allowed only under very exceptional circumstances, subject to approval by the concerned Administrative Secretaries.
However, Kashmir-based employees required to move to Jammu will be eligible for five days of Special Casual Leave, without linking the facility to the availability of accommodation in Jammu.
Accommodation Rules for Moving Employees
The government has made it clear that no moving employee will be permitted to occupy government, Estates Department, municipal or other residential accommodation without a proper allotment order.
Employees may retain their allotted government accommodation in Srinagar for the bona fide use of their families, subject to informing the Estates Department and complying with the approved terms and conditions.
The Estates Department will arrange accommodation for officers and officials shifting to Jammu in accordance with the established practice.
Winter Secretariat to Function in Srinagar
As part of the arrangements to ensure continuity of administration in Kashmir during the winter season, the General Administration Department will establish a Winter Secretariat at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar.
Each Administrative Secretary has been directed to furnish details of employees to be retained in Srinagar, comprising one gazetted and four non-gazetted officials from each department.
Preference will be given to female employees and those suffering from serious medical conditions, wherever feasible. Departments will also have to identify one room each within the Civil Secretariat premises in Srinagar for the retained staff.
The order makes it clear that no officer or official will be retained without the prior approval of the competent authority.
Attached Staff to Be Detached by October 27
All Administrative Departments have been directed to detach staff attached from subordinate offices of the Kashmir Division on or before October 27.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (Security), Civil Secretariat, will withdraw temporary identity cards issued to the attached staff and submit a compliance report to the General Administration Department before the closure of offices in Srinagar.
Office Timings in Jammu
The government has also specified the working hours for offices after reopening in Jammu.
The Civil Secretariat and Heads of Departments located within the Civil Secretariat premises will function from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
Meanwhile, moving Heads of Departments located outside the Civil Secretariat premises and observing a six-day working week will function from 10 am to 4:30 pm.
The order has been issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, M. Raju, IAS, and circulated to the concerned Financial Commissioners, Principal Secretaries, Commissioner/Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Heads of Departments, police authorities, Estates Department and other agencies for necessary action.
The annual Darbar Move is a longstanding administrative practice under which designated government offices shift between Srinagar and Jammu according to the season.
The detailed arrangements for the 2026-27 winter move are aimed at ensuring the orderly relocation of offices, uninterrupted government functioning and the availability of essential facilities for employees during the transition.
For Complete Show Order : Click here