J&K government announces annual shifting of capital from Srinagar to Jammu

The J&K government on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) announced the annual shifting of capital from Srinagar to Jammu, a practice stopped by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration after 2021 and resumed by the Omar Abdullah government in 2025.

To ferry employees and official files, the government directed the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) “to arrange an adequate number of buses in good condition to transport employees on October 31 and November 1.”

“Tickets will be issued in advance from October 27,” said a government spokesman.

The government directed the JKRTC that each convoy of buses be accompanied by a crane, two empty buses and mobile workshops to deal with any eventuality during the journey.

“The Jammu and Kashmir Police will provide security to the convoys and ensure their precedence at the Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel,” the order said.

According to the ‘Darbar Move’ calendar, the offices are scheduled to reopen in the winter capital of Jammu on November 2. In summer capital Srinagar, offices will start closing from October 30 and October 31.

“Offices moving in camp mode will carry up to 33 per cent of their staff strength or 10 officials, whichever is lower, unless specified otherwise,” the order said.

Introduced in 1872 by Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh, the ‘Darbar Move’ allowed shifting of offices from Jammu to Srinagar when summers peaked there and return to Jammu as winter peaked in the Valley.

The practice was stopped by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration in 2021, on account of burden on the exchequer. However, J&K’s regional parties, including the ruling National Conference (NC), was in favour of the practice, which also acts as a bridge between two diverse cultures of Kashmir and Jammu.

More than 9000 government employees would relocate every year from around 51 government departments to the twin capitals as part of the practice.