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| By abolishing Durbar Move, Govt saves Rs 220 Cr of public money this year | | More than Rs 125 crores spent each year on accommodations alone | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Apr 18: For the first time in the administrative history of Jammu and Kashmir, a whopping more than 220 crores of public money have been saved by the government- spent in the past years on annual Durbar Move in the erstwhile state.
As the government has this year hinted at doing away with the 148 year old ritualistic practice of Durbar Move, startling figures of how much public money is being saved are coming to the fore.
The government has directed administrative secretaries and departments with single Head of Department (HOD) to ensure their functionality in their respective departments, both at Srinagar and Jammu. Interestingly, the government has also directed Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to carry out extensive fumigation and sanitation in civil secretariat, other moves offices, residential colonies and hotels being provided to employees.
Meanwhile, the order issued by the government is winning praises of people who term it as a vital measure towards saving precious public money.
The 'Durbar Move' was started in 1872 by Maharaja Gulab Singh to escape the extreme heat during summers in Jammu and biting cold of winters in Srinagar.
“More than 148 years later such a practice has been stopped and it is a welcome measure. It will save people’s money and expose them to lesser hardships while getting the grievances addressed at the power corridors,” says a Jammu based Civil Secretariat official.
The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was the only region in the country that had two capitals, Srinagar and Jammu.
The summer capital opens in Srinagar in May and the winter in Jammu in October. The relocation of capital and secretariat from Jammu to Srinagar is called the Durbar Move.
Now, the figures getting surfaced are jaw dropping in nature. The department of estates alone used to spend more than 125 crores on providing logistics and accommodation to the move employees. All the money had to be borne by a common tax payer of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Furthermore, more than 90 crores were being paid on account of paying allowances to Move employees.
With this practice about to end forever, the government is all set to save more than 220 crores of public money every year. The question remains how the saved money will now be utilized for public welfare schemes. |
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