JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that his government’s decision to revive the age-old ‘Darbar Move’ tradition was aimed at bridging the emotional and administrative gap between the twin capitals—Jammu and Srinagar—asserting that certain things “should not be weighed in money.”
The century-old tradition, which involves shifting the J&K government’s offices from Srinagar to Jammu during winter and back to Srinagar in summer, officially resumed as the Civil Secretariat and other offices began functioning from Jammu on Monday. The offices had closed in Srinagar on October 30 and 31.
“Some people always try to create a wedge between Jammu and Srinagar and rake up ‘Jammu versus Kashmir’ for political advantage. We want to address that wedge and remove the distance,” Abdullah said while addressing reporters after inaugurating the functioning of the Secretariat in Jammu.
The annual practice, started by the Dogra rulers nearly 150 years ago, was halted in June 2021 by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who cited the complete transition of the administration to e-office, claiming the move would save around ₹200 crore annually. However, the decision was met with sharp criticism, particularly from Jammu’s business community, which said it severely hit local trade and disrupted the symbolic unity between the two regions.
On October 16, Omar Abdullah fulfilled his election promise by reinstating the ‘Darbar Move’, a decision that drew enthusiastic response across Jammu. “How important this decision was, especially for Jammu, you might have seen this morning. The journey from my official residence to the Civil Secretariat, which usually takes five minutes, took an hour as people poured out on the streets and showered their love. Jammu was greatly affected when the ‘Darbar Move’ was stopped,” the chief minister said.
He added that the decision to revive the practice was about restoring unity and sentiment rather than just economics. “The ‘Darbar Move’ was stopped to save money. But some things are more than money—it involves sentiment and unity between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir. This tradition is the biggest way to unite them,” Abdullah remarked.
He also emphasized that the halt of the practice had strained ties between the two regions. “By stopping the ‘Darbar Move’, the unity between Jammu and Kashmir got affected, and we tried to right that wrong,” he said, adding that the move would eventually prove beneficial for both regions’ economies.
Addressing concerns about the logistical challenges of reviving the practice after a gap, the chief minister said, “We have to organise the offices, provide residential accommodation to employees, and make all other arrangements. For that, a special team of officers headed by an additional chief secretary has been constituted. I am confident that Shaleen Kabra and his team will resolve all the issues.”
Abdullah concluded by assuring that his government, which has been in office for only a year, is determined to “keep changing things for the better.”
