Himachal adopts J-K darbar move

A mini-secretariat with 12 rooms for ministers would be inaugurated in November, he said. According to Dhumal, the government machinery would not be shifted like in J-K. But key departments would operate from Dharamsala.

Dhumal said there was no need to shift the entire secretariat. ‘‘It won’t be on the lines of the J-K Darbar move under which the government is shifted to Jammu in winters. Subsequently, however, the entire secretariat could be shifted,’’ he said.

‘‘The government rest houses would be vacated for the purpose. Later, a residential-cum-office complex could come up.’’ As much as Rs 4 crore has been earmarked for the building of which Rs 75 lakh has been released for the ‘‘big shift’’.

Dhumal has wrested the initiative from Virbhadra Singh who, as CM in 1996, had introduced shifting of government from Shimla to Dharamsala in winter. Virbhadra had given in to demands of people so they could approach the government for at least a fortnight. The ‘‘winter move’’ lost its appeal because the CMs hardly stayed at Dharamsala.