Dr Sajjan Singh Yadav, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, was appointed new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir with effect from November 1 or the date he assumes charge, whichever is later. (Source: Facebook)The Jammu and Kashmir government, in a major development late Sunday night, assigned the charge of UT Chief Secretary to Shailendra Kumar, a 1995 AGMUT cadre IAS officer, until the arrival of new Chief Secretary Dr Sajjan Singh Yadav in J&K.Kumar is currently serving as Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Finance Department in the UT Administration, besides holding additional charge of the Administrative Secretary, Agriculture Production Department.According to an order issued by the General Administration Department, he “will continue to look after the charge of chief secretary until Dr Sajjan Singh Yadav, IAS (AGMUT 1995), joins the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”Dr Sajjan Singh Yadav, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, was appointed new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir with effect from November 1 or the date he assumes charge, whichever is later.He succeeds Atal Dulloo, who retired as Chief Secretary on October 31.Earlier on Sunday, LG Manoj Sinha had ordered the transfer of six IAS officers, including Shaleen Kabra, a 1992-batch AGMUT-cadre IAS officer, and posted him as DG of Jammu and Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development.Kabra was Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) at the Jal Shakti Department, besides holding additional charge of the posts of Financial Commissioner Revenue, J&K; Administrative Secretary, Estates Department; and Administrative Secretary, Revenue Department.Story continues below this adMeanwhile, the Civil Secretariat and other Darbar Move offices reopened here on Monday, marking the resumption of the UT government’s functioning from Jammu, the winter capital of J&K, after a period of six months.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour on his arrival at the Civil Secretariat, later toured various offices and interacted with the officials on the opening of Darbar Move offices, a 154-year-old practice introduced by the Dogra rulers of the erstwhile state in 1872.The practice of shifting the seat of power from Srinagar to Jammu during winter and vice versa in summer was aimed at making the administration escape the harsh winters of Kashmir and the heat of Jammu on the one hand, and also ensuring that its functionaries were available at the doorsteps of people in both regions of the erstwhile state.The practice, which continued even after Independence as an important administrative and economic link between people of both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, was discontinued by the Lt Governor’s administration in 2021 on the grounds of the administration’s transition to e-office and the need to save crores of rupees spent on the biannual Darbar Move every year.Story continues below this adThe practice was restored by the Omar Abdullah government in October 2025, fulfilling its electoral promise. The LG administration’s decision to discontinue it had triggered widespread criticism, especially from the business community.