SRINAGAR, OCT 20: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has announced the detailed schedule and administrative arrangements for the annual Darbar Move for the winter session of 2026–27, directing designated government offices to shift from Srinagar to Jammu and resume operations on November 2, 2026. Under Government Order No. 1664-JK(GAD) of 2026, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), offices observing a five-day working week will close in Srinagar on October 30, while those following a six-day working week will close on October 31 after office hours. The order, issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government M. Raju, IAS, outlines a comprehensive framework covering the relocation of government establishments and employees, transportation, security, medical assistance, accommodation, ration supplies, special allowances and the continuation of essential administrative functions in Kashmir during the winter months.
According to the government order, 41 offices and establishments will shift to Jammu in full, while 50 offices will function in camp mode, taking the total number of designated offices covered by the arrangement to 91. The offices moving in full include all departments of the Civil Secretariat, the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the Financial Commissioner Revenue, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, the Chief Electoral Office, the Directorate of Information, the Transport Commissioner and the Directorate General of Accounts and Treasuries, besides several other departments and establishments. The offices designated to function in camp mode include the State Taxes Department, Excise Department, Economics and Statistics, Audit and Inspection, AYUSH, Horticulture, Geology and Mining, the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board, the Board of Professional Entrance Examination, the National Health Mission and the J&K Medical Supplies Corporation, among others. Under the prescribed arrangement, camp offices will generally relocate 33 per cent of their staff strength or 10 officials, whichever is lower, unless a different provision has been specified in the government order.
To facilitate the movement of employees from Srinagar to Jammu, 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 ticket booking will commence on October 27 at the Civil Secretariat and designated main JKRTC booking counters, with tickets to be issued according to employees’ destinations wherever feasible. The corporation has also been instructed to deploy one crane, two empty buses and mobile workshop facilities with each convoy to address vehicle breakdowns and technical difficulties during the journey. These arrangements are intended to ensure the safe and orderly transportation of employees and minimise disruptions along the Srinagar-Jammu highway during the seasonal relocation.
Security arrangements have also been incorporated into the Darbar Move plan, with the Jammu and Kashmir Police directed to escort employee convoys throughout their journey to Jammu. Police authorities will ensure that the convoys receive precedence while crossing the Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel. The Director General of Police, J&K, will issue the necessary instructions to field formations for implementing the prescribed security and traffic-management measures. Meanwhile, the Health and Medical Education Department has been tasked with establishing medical aid facilities at Qazigund, Banihal, Ramsu, Ramban, Chenani, Udhampur and Jhajjar Kotli on the designated travel days to provide assistance in case of medical emergencies during the journey.
The order provides for a uniform Special Move Travelling Allowance of ₹25,000 for each eligible employee participating in the Darbar Move. Employees who fail to move before or within the prescribed dates will not be entitled to the allowance, in accordance with the conditions laid down in the order. Advance pay will also be authorised for non-gazetted employees who apply for the facility, with recovery to be made in instalments under the applicable rules. The October 2026 salaries of employees serving in the designated moving offices will be drawn on October 29. The government has further directed that leave will generally not be permitted in combination with, or immediately before or after, the designated move days, except under very exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the concerned Administrative Secretary. Kashmir-based employees participating in the Darbar Move will also be allowed five days of Special Casual Leave if they wish to avail themselves of the facility, irrespective of the availability of accommodation in Jammu.
To maintain essential administrative functions in Kashmir during the winter season, the General Administration Department will establish a Winter Secretariat at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar. Each Administrative Department has been directed to identify one gazetted officer and four non-gazetted officials to remain stationed at the Srinagar Civil Secretariat, subject to prior approval from the competent authority. Departments have been asked, wherever feasible, to give preference to female employees and officials suffering from serious medical conditions while identifying staff for retention. Each department must also identify one room at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar for its retained employees and submit the requisite details to the GAD for the issuance of allotment orders. The arrangement is intended to ensure the continuity of essential government work and administrative coordination in Kashmir while designated offices operate from Jammu.
The Estates Department has been directed to provide accommodation to officers and officials moving to Jammu in accordance with established practice. The government has made it clear that no moving employee may occupy government, Estates Department, municipal or residential accommodation without a valid allotment order. Employees may, however, retain government accommodation allotted to them in Srinagar for the genuine use of their families, subject to informing the Estates Department and complying with the prescribed terms and conditions. The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has also been instructed to establish ration counters at suitable locations near residential colonies of moving employees in Jammu to ensure the availability of essential supplies during the winter session.
The government has prescribed separate office timings for different categories of establishments after their reopening in Jammu. The Civil Secretariat and Heads of Departments located within its premises will function from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, while moving Heads of Departments located outside the Civil Secretariat premises and observing a six-day working week will function from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. The GAD has additionally directed all Administrative Departments to detach employees attached to subordinate offices in the Kashmir Division by October 27. The SSP Security, Civil Secretariat, has been instructed to withdraw temporary identity cards issued to such attached employees and submit a compliance report before the closure of offices in Srinagar.
The government order has been circulated to the concerned Administrative Departments, Divisional Commissioners, police authorities, Heads of Departments and other relevant institutions for necessary action and implementation. The annual Darbar Move is a longstanding administrative arrangement involving the seasonal relocation of designated government offices between Srinagar, the summer capital, and Jammu, the winter capital. The latest schedule establishes the administrative and logistical framework for the 2026–27 winter session, with the designated offices set to reopen in Jammu on November 2 and essential administrative arrangements continuing in Srinagar through the Winter Secretariat.
