Amid confusion over Eid holiday, J&K Govt employees return to work

SRINAGAR — Despite the absence of a modification order from the Jammu & Kashmir Government’s General Administration Department or administrative secretaries of other departments, government employees in Jammu & Kashmir have returned to duty amid confusion over the Eid holiday.

While banks remained closed on Thursday following a directive from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), reports indicate that chaos ensued over the holiday as Jammu & Kashmir celebrated Eid on Wednesday, in contrast to the rest of the country, which observed it on Thursday.

The confusion stemmed from Jammu & Kashmir, along with Ladakh Union Territory, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, celebrating Eid on Wednesday, while the rest of the nation observed it on Thursday.

Traditionally, state and union territory governments issue separate orders when festivals like Eid are celebrated on different dates across the country. However, the Jammu & Kashmir Government did not follow this precedent, opting not to issue any modification order or clarification.

Although Ladakh UT Administration and J&K High Court issued separate orders declaring Eid holiday for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, the Jammu & Kashmir Government and Jammu & Kashmir Bank remained silent on the matter.

Internal communications from drawing and disbursing officers instructed employees to return to duty on Thursday despite confusion over the holiday. The officers assured employees that the Smart Attendance app would be updated to reflect Wednesday as a holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr.

Interestingly, non-Muslim government employees are granted 3-4 days of mass casual leave for Puja holidays. This time, Kashmiri Pandit government employees are availing four days of mass casual leave in connection with the Navratra festival celebrated earlier this week.