Amid bandh call, civil secretariat to reopen in Jammu today

Amid a bandh call, the civil secretariat and other offices will reopen in the winter capital here on Monday to continue the pre-Independence ‘Durbar move’ tradition started by Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1872.
Authorities have made elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order as the Durbar offices will reopen amid the strike call given by some organisations against the alleged failure of the PDP-BJP coalition government on all fronts.
“Apart from normal arrangements, this time we have prepared a contingency plan to maintain law and order by deploying additional forces,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, SD Singh, told Kashmir Post.
He said closed-circuit television cameras had been made operational at important installations, including the secretariat, to maintain a close vigil.
After seven years, the civil secretariat will reopen in Jammu amid a strike call. In 2010, the BJP had called for Jammu bandh against “accession remarks” of the then Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who had stated that J&K had “acceded not merged with the Indian union.”
This year the Durbar will reopen two days after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s statement, asking the BJP-led NDA government to honour Article 370 of the Constitution.
Furthermore, the appointment of former Director General of the Intelligence Bureau Dineshwar Sharma as the interlocutor on Kashmir is another significant development. Sharma will start his six-day J&K visit on Monday. He is also likely to visit Jammu and Ladakh.
The bandh call has been given on various issues, including demands of traders, support for a holiday on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary, deportation of Rohingya and others.
Initially, the call was given by the Chamber of Traders’ Federation to protest toll on goods imported from outside the state and to press for a public holiday on the Hari Singh anniversary.
While many organisations, including the Congress, Jammu High Court Bar Association, National Panthers Party and Team Jammu, have extended support to the strike call, the Bari Brahmana Industries’ Association has opposed it.

CM, ministers reach winter capital
A day ahead of the reopening of the civil secretariat in the winter capital, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti reached here on Sunday. She straight drove to her official residence situated on Wazarat Road. Mehbooba will be inspecting the guard of honour on her arrival at the civil secretariat on Monday. Most of the ministers, including PWD Minister Naeem Akhtar, Education Minister Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura and others have also reached Jammu. The BJP ministers were already camping in the city and will be attending the first day at the civil secretariat. TNS

Durbar move practice
The Durbar move is a pre-Independence practice in which the government functions for six months each in the two capitals — Jammu and Srinagar
As winter sets in, the government will function from Jammu for the next six months. For the last six months, the government was working from the summer capital, Srinagar