SRINAGAR: The capital of Jammu and Kashmir and official secretariat of the government will shift to Srinagar for six months from Tuesday.

Jammu and Kashmir has two capitals - Srinagar is summer capital and Jammu is winter capital. The State witnesses half-yearly shifting of offices to other capital and this process is called “Darbar Move”. It is a century-old practice under which the State government functions six months each in the two capitals.

As per the Durbar Move, the summer capital will shift to Srinagar tomorrow (Tuesday) with re-opening of Civil Secretariat housing official secretariat and Chief Minister’s office in the summer capital. The Raj Bhavan and other offices, which also shift to Jammu during half-yearly durbar move, will also reopen in Srinagar tomorrow. As part of the Durbar Move practice, the government functions in the summer capital (Srinagar) till late October and then with arrival of winter moves to winter capital (Jammu) in first week of November.

The practice of shifting secretariat to two capitals was started by the Maharajas of the state before Independence to escape the extreme weather conditions in the respective cities. Over the years, there were calls to give up this “Durbar Move” practice and keep the seat of power permanently at one place. However, the government has continued the process and did not show any interest to discontinue it.

During the half-yearly durbar move, authorities have to transport truckload of files between two capital cities twice a year. Authorities have to spend about a core of rupees on transportation of files and renovation and painting of roads in both the capitals at the time of shifting of Durbar.

Every year the two capitals get face-lift on eve of shifting of the Durbar. The first day of shifting of capital to Srinagar promises to be a hectic for authorities as the opposition Congress has called for Secretariat gherao on the day to protest against new recruitment policy and “anti-people” policies of the PDP-BJP coalition government in the State.

The independent legislator and MLA Langate Er Abdur Rashid has also threatened to gherao the Secretariat tomorrow alongwith his supporters to protest against creation of separate colonies for displaced Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. Besides, the traders in the Valley have called for “Kashmir Bandh” Tuesday to protest government’s failure to rehabilitate the traders affected by floods last year. The traders have also planned to stage protests to seek government’s attention.

“In view of the “Secretariat gherao” calls, we will deploy police and paramilitary personnel in strength outside the Secretariat to foil any attempt to gherao the ministers and Chief Minister. The strength of security men in other sensitive areas in Srinagar will also be increased,” a top police officer said.