Ahead of bifurcation, J-K issues directive for Durbar move

Ahead of the state's formal bifurcation into two Union Territories on October 31, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday announced elaborate measures for the annual Durbar move of its offices from Srinagar to winter capital Jammu.

Issuing a 19-point directive on how to go about the annual Durbar move, that entails one crore file papers being packed neatly, loaded on to trucks and buses, and moved to either summer capital Srinagar or winter capital Jammu, depending on the season, the administration says: "All the offices shall reopen at Jammu on November 4, a Monday."

The laborious and expensive shifting process, which has been carried out for the past 70 decades, is set to end once the entire process is digitised very soon.

Teams of senior Central government officials have been camping in the state to chalk out ways to digitise the files and put them on the e-office portal, that will not only save crores of money during the Durbar moves, but also enable the administration work to be carried out from any place.

The directive says that the departments "shall ensure that records are properly packed in boxes/trunks and their keys should reach the advance parties at Jammu, well in time. The SSP, Security, Civil Secretariat shall furnish a list of defaulting departments in this regard to the Government (General Administration Department) at Jammu".

It has directed the J&K State Road Transport Corporation to make available "sufficient number of buses in good condition for transportation of Jammu-based employees on October 26 and 27, 2019 and Kashmir-based employees on November 2 and 3".

It also directs that the SRTC "shall also make available trucks for shifting the records from Srinagar to Jammu" and the departments "shall draw advance for meeting carriage and packaging charges". "The loaded trucks shall leave for Jammu on October 27, a Sunday, in a convoy.

It says that the SSP, Security, Srinagar "will supervise the packing and loading of records of the offices located outside the Secretariat" and also "issue clearance certificates to the Drivers who, in turn, shall show them to the SSP, Security, Civil Secretariat to allow them to be included in the convoy".

It has also asked for "one crane, two empty buses and two empty trucks" to accompany the convoy "in case of any break down of buses/trucks on the way. Mobile workshop(s) shall also accompany the convoy".

The state police are to escort the convoy carrying employees and records all along the route and also ensure that the convoy is given precedence in crossing the Jawahar Tunnel and the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel. Arrangements will be made for providing medical aid facilities at Qazigund, Banihal, Ramsu, Chanderkote, Udhampur and Jhajjarkotli during the convoy.

Travel allowance will be paid at the rate of Rs 15,000 per employee who is part of the Durbar move. The administration is also providing salary for the month of October to those employees who are part of the Durbar move on October 21.

During the Durbar move, only 33 per cent of the staff strength in every department, or 10 officials, whichever is minimum or otherwise, is allowed.

No leave is allowed "except under very exceptional circumstances".

It adds: "It is further ordered that the General Administration, Home, Hospitalitv & Protocol, Estates, Information Technology, Information Departments as well as National Informatics Center shall identify few officers staff who shall stay in Srinaqar till November 1, 2019 in view of the impending formation of two new Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on 31.10.2019."

The order is signed by Additional Secretary to the Government, Subash Chibber.