Jammu,: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the age-old ‘Darbar Move’ tradition was revived by his government to bridge the gap between the twin capitals of the erstwhile state and asserted that some things “should not be weighed by money”.
The tradition involves shifting the J&K government’s offices from Srinagar to Jammu in the winter and vice versa in the summer.
The Civil Secretariat and other move offices closed in Srinagar on October 30 and 31, and started functioning from Jammu, the winter capital, on Monday for the next six months.
Abdullah said 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,” he said.
The yearly move was started by the Dogra rulers nearly 150 years ago. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha halted it in June 2021, citing the administration’s complete transition to e-office, which, he said, would save around Rs 200 crore annually.
The decision drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including Jammu’s business community, which termed the move a blow to trade and the traditional bond between the two regions. They had been pressing for the revival of the practice ever since.
On October 16, Abdullah fulfilled his election promise by reviving ‘Darbar Move’, bringing relief to the business community here.
“How important was this (decision), especially for Jammu, you might have come to know this morning. The journey (from my official residence to Civil Secretariat), which usually takes five minutes, took an hour with people pouring out on the streets and showering their love… Jammu was greatly affected when the ‘Darbar Move’ was stopped,” the chief minister said.
Abdullah said he fulfilled his responsibility by reviving the transition, expressing hope that the economy of Jammu and Kashmir would benefit from his decision.
“The most important thing is that everything should not be weighed in money. The ‘Darbar Move’ was stopped to save money. Some things are more than money, as it involves sentiment and unity between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that the tradition is the “biggest way” to unite the regions.
By stopping the ‘Darbar Move’, he said, the unity of the two regions got affected, and “we tried to right this wrong”.
“It will be beneficial financially. But everything should not be weighed in money. If the ‘Darbar Move’ is weighed in money alone, then such decisions like curtailing the move are taken. The economy of Jammu will benefit (by reviving the tradition),” the chief minister said.
Talking about the arrangements for the move of employees, Abdullah said as the move is taking place after some time, it will take a few days for the government to address any shortcomings.
“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 to look at all these things. I am very hopeful that Shaleen Kabra and his team will solve all the problems of the employees,” he said.
Abdullah said his government has been in office for only one year and promised that “things will keep changing for the better”.
