Move employees complain of inadequate accommodation facilities

Srinagar, Dec 29: Though the Government is accommodating Darbar Move employees in quarters of Estates Department, but as per the officials, quarters are “inadequate” to meet the requirement of the move employees.
They are entitled for the government accommodation as per the laid down norms. The Government is also hiring private hotels and guest houses to accommodate the employees which cost crores to the state exchequer.
An official of the Estates Department told to a local news agency that government had decided to build the adequate accommodation for the Durbar Move employees in twin capitals of the state.
“We have a proposal for construction of 400 flats at Pampore. The department was in the process of acquiring 150 kanals of land near Tulsibagh,” an official of Estates Department said.
The official said that the Government has to provide accommodation to over 6000 employees for six months both in Srinagar and Jammu. Government had decided several times to utilize state land effectively where additional accommodation could be developed for these employees. “The building of own accommodation will end the practice of hiring private hotels and guest houses,” the officials added.
They however, said that all these things have remained a distant dream. Now the government instead building own accommodation is mulling to digitize both the secretariats.
“It has been decided that computer infrastructure for Jammu will remain stationed at Jammu and the same will be left at Srinagar while Durbar moving to Jammu. Funds have also been released for digitization of official records,” an official of Finance Department, said.
The Durbar move is a ritual of shifting the civil secretariat every six months from one capital city to the other.
An official of Science and Technology Department said that crores were being spent every six months on the shifting of files, which can easily be saved through digitalization.
“All departments are packing records in boxes after the working hours on the last working day after six months in Srinagar then in Jammu,” the official added.
The records comprise thousands of official files, documents and records, which can be digitalized, he added.
Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh had started the practice of Durbar move in 1872 to escape the harsh winters of Kashmir and the scorching summer of Jammu
Every year in October-November, the Durbar moves to Jammu from Srinagar and in April-May, it shifts to Srinagar. The records’ convoy and employees leave separately and are escorted by police teams.