J&K Govt. defers Darbar move 2021 amid unprecedented COVID surge

JAMMU, APRIL 16(HS): Taking note of the alarming surge in COVID cases, the Government today decided to defer the summer Darbar move 2021 and reinforce its resources towards the containment of the pandemic. It was also decided that the Secretariat will continue to function through its e-office in both the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar so that the public at large is not inconvenienced at either capital. The functioning of the dual-secretariat will ensure uninterrupted functioning of the UT administration while reducing the need for long-distance travel of the public. During a high-level meeting, it was observed that a complete shift of Darbar offices to Srinagar from 30th April can jeopardize COVID-control efforts in Jammu and Kashmir. As elsewhere in the country, the number of COVID cases in the Union territory is at an all-time high and requires uninterrupted attention for effective monitoring and control. The Government directed the Administrative Secretaries to put in place a robust mechanism for holding virtual offices through e-office and use online/electronic/video conferencing/other modes of communication at the two capital cities. J&K Secretariat has already switched over to a paperless office by rolling out the prestigious e-office project. As such, most of the official record is available on the web cloud which can be easily accessed and retrieved by the authenticated employees’ accounts anywhere, anytime. It was also decided that GAD will issue orders regarding ‘move’ HoDs, all of whom will also need to shift to e-office. This will apply to all HoDs, barring a few.