Avinash Azad
A quiet digital reform inside government offices has delivered a big environmental win for Jammu and Kashmir. A new research paper shows that the Union Territory’s shift to the e-Office system has helped cut more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions every year, while also saving lakhs of trees, huge amounts of fuel, electricity, and public money.
Authored by Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, now Commissioner/ Secretary to the Government in the Science & Technology and Civil Aviation departments, and published by Quest Journals, the study is the first scientifically grounded assessment to measure how digital governance can significantly reduce environmental damage, particularly in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir.
End of Darbar Move, End of Heavy Pollution
For decades, Jammu and Kashmir followed the Darbar Move, a biannual shifting of the Civil Secretariat and other offices between Jammu and Srinagar, nearly 300 kilometres apart. Thousands of officials moved with families, files, furniture, and records—twice every year.
This practice meant:
- Hundreds of trucks and buses on the road
- Thousands of private vehicles travelling long distances
- Duplicate households using LPG and electricity
- Massive paper consumption
According to the study, this system caused huge but ignored environmental damage.
In 2021, the government ended physical file movement and fully adopted the e-Office system, allowing files, notes, and approvals to move digitally.
Over 4 Billion Pages of Paper Saved
One of the biggest gains came from going paperless.
Government data shows that since 2021:
- 3.75 million files
- 339 million receipts
were processed digitally.
Based on official sampling, this means more than 4.05 billion pages of paper were avoided.
Experts estimate this has:
- Saved tens of thousands of trees
- Reduced paper-related emissions by about 4,500 tonnes of CO₂ every year
- Cut water use, deforestation, and paper waste
No More Duplicate Homes, Less Fuel Burned
Earlier, many employees had to maintain two homes during Darbar Move—one in Jammu and one in Srinagar.
The study estimates that stopping this practice has saved:
- 1,625 tonnes of CO₂ per year from reduced LPG use
- 1,718 tonnes of CO₂ per year from lower electricity consumption
Together, just avoiding duplicate households has cut over 3,300 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
Trucks, Buses, Cars—All Reduced
The Darbar Move involved:
- Around 170 trucks
- 119 buses
- Hundreds of smaller vehicles every year
With e-Office, this transport has stopped.
Annual savings include:
- 625 tonnes of CO₂ from government trucks and buses
- 416 tonnes of CO₂ from private vehicles used by employees
The physical movement of trunks, records, and files—once a major pollution source—has also ended, saving another 660 tonnes of CO₂.
Digital Work, Fewer Office Emissions
The study also highlights gains inside offices:
- No need to heat, light, or power duplicate offices
- Reduced use of diesel generators
- Lower water and electricity consumption
Around 500 tonnes of CO₂ are saved annually from office utilities alone.
In addition, more than 17,000 officials now work remotely using VPNs and official email systems, avoiding unnecessary travel. This has saved another 249 tonnes of CO₂ each year.
Total Impact: A Major Climate Action
Putting all factors together, the research estimates that Jammu and Kashmir’s e-Office reform has reduced emissions by over 10,294 tonnes of CO₂ every year.
The author describes this as “administrative de-carbonisation”—cutting pollution not through factories or power plants, but by changing how government itself works.
A Model for Other States
The paper argues that digital governance should clam to be treated as a climate action tool, not just an administrative reform.
It recommends:
- Carbon audits for government offices
- Reporting environmental savings from digital schemes
- Expanding e-Office in hill states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and the North East
- Linking digital governance with India’s climate commitments
A Silent Green Revolution
While climate debates often focus on industries and transport, this study shows that daily government functioning also leaves a heavy carbon footprint—and that smart digital reforms can drastically reduce it.
In the words of the research, Jammu and Kashmir’s e-Office shift is not just about efficiency or transparency. It is “a practical, proven blueprint for green governance”—one that protects the Himalayas while modernising administration.
As governments search for low-cost climate solutions, J&K’s digital files may turn out to be one of its cleanest green moves yet.
Separate Context: Darbar Move Restored on Economic Grounds
It may be noted that the research paper does not examine or comment on the political decision to restore the Darbar Move. However, in a subsequent policy development, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in October 2025 decided to restore the Darbar Move practice, citing economic losses being faced by the business community in Jammu after the earlier discontinuation of physical Secretariat movement.
The decision was widely welcomed by traders and business associations in the winter capital, who had consistently argued that the seasonal shift of offices generated significant economic activity for local markets, hotels, transport operators, and small vendors. Following the restoration, the Chief Minister personally visited various markets across Jammu city, interacting with members of the trading community—an outreach that received strong appreciation from traders.
Crucially, despite the resumption of Darbar Move for administrative presence, the e-Office system continues to remain fully in place. File movement, approvals, and inter-departmental communication are still conducted digitally, ensuring that the environmental and efficiency gains identified in the study remain largely intact. This separation between physical presence and digital file management reflects a hybrid governance approach, balancing economic considerations with modern administrative practices.
