The wail of the 10 am siren giving the last call to government workers to attend office was heard on Monday after nearly 16 years, during which gunfire was the only sound that broke the morning calm.

The Jammu and Kashmir [Images] government restarted the exercise, which was stopped following the eruption of militancy, to coincide with the bi-annual 'darbar move' -- with the seat of power shifting to the summer capital, Srinagar [Images], official sources said.

Sirens installed at various places in the city went off simultaneously at 10 am, with working hours in government offices fixed from 10 am to 4 pm during summers.    

It was, however, not sounded at the Civil Secretariat, amid heavy movement of vehicles and pedestrians, due to apprehensions that it may cause panic among the people who had almost forgotten the wail of siren over the years, the sources said.