The National Conference (NC)-led government on Monday revived the historic Darbar Move — the tradition of shifting the government from Kashmir to Jammu for six months — after four years.
The 150-year-old practice was ended by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, in 2021.
Sinha had cited cost-cutting and the adoption of e-office systems that saved around Rs 200 crore annually.
But the decision had sparked widespread resentment in Jammu among the business community that traditionally benefited from the government’s six-month stay in the city.
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The shifting of the government to Jammu, along with hundreds of employees and their families, helped boost Jammu’s economy.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led the first convoy of ministers and officials into the winter capital.
Elaborate preparations were underway in Jammu ahead of the reopening of the offices. City roads were repaired and beautified, government buildings freshly painted, and accommodation readied for thousands of employees arriving from Srinagar.
Security was tightened across key routes and sensitive areas, with police and paramilitary personnel deployed to ensure a smooth transition amid possible protests by daily wagers seeking regularisation of services.
Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Jammu, Omar said the restoration of the Darbar Move would “significantly boost Jammu’s economy” and strengthen emotional ties between the two regions.
“Not everything should be measured in monetary terms,” he said. “The Darbar Move connected Srinagar and Jammu.”
Omar said the discontinuation of the practice had hurt Jammu’s traders and weakened the sense of unity. “Restoring it is our way of mending that bond,” he said.
The chief minister described the public's welcome as proof of the emotional value attached to the tradition. “You must have seen the love and affection. It took us an hour to reach because of the overwhelming response,” he said.
Observers opine that the revival of the practice serves as both a political statement and an assertion of the authority of an elected administration in post-Article 370 Jammu and Kashmir, where the Lieutenant Governor holds complete sway over key levers of power.
By reversing a decision of the Raj Bhavan, the NC-led alliance has not only fulfilled a key election promise but also signalled the return of political decision-making to the hands of an elected leadership.
Although the move is symbolic, the government is asserting its authority to reclaim the democratic space that had been overshadowed by bureaucratic control since 2019. |
