JAMMU, Nov 11:Chief Minister Omar Abdullah started working from the Civil Secretariat here today, as part of an annual practice of shifting administrative base to the winter capital.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Secretary, Administrative Secretaries, and heads of departments also resumed their work from Jammu, officials said.
According to a General Administration Department order dated October 23, only the Administrative Secretaries and the top department heads will shift to Jammu from Srinagar under a curtailed Darbar move.
The Civil Secretariat in Srinagar will also remain functional, as the order stated.
The annual move, a long-standing tradition in Jammu and Kashmir, was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The practice involved shifting the Government from Srinagar to Jammu from October to May due to harsh cold conditions in the Valley.
Omar reached Jammu from Srinagar by road (Srinagar-Jammu National Highway) due to poor visibility at Jammu airport.
“Poor visibility in Jammu meant a sudden, last minute, road trip. Nothing flew in to or out from Jammu yesterday. So I had to saddle up & take the road to the winter capital,” Omar worte on X.
Enroute,the CM took photographs and posted video of his convoy moving on the highway.
Abdullah is the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir since its reorganisation as a Union Territory.
He earlier served as a J-K Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014, when it was still a full-fledged State.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah received a rousing welcome at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu upon his arrival to assume office in the winter capital.
This marked his first official visit to the Jammu Secretariat since taking office as the Chief Minister on October 16 in Srinagar.
Omar was warmly greeted by his Council of Ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary and Cabinet members Sakeena Masood Itoo, Javed Ahmad Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma.
Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta and other senior officials, and staff of the Civil Secretariat were also present to receive him.
In a gesture of camaraderie, the Chief Minister visited the chambers of his Ministers to formally welcome them, reflecting his commitment to fostering a collaborative working environment.
During his visit, he also inspected the ongoing construction of the new Assembly Complex.
He toured the complex, where officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) Roads & Buildings (R&B) Division provided a detailed briefing on the project’s various stages, timeline and next steps.