Darbar Move – the over a century-and-a-half-old practice that sees shifting of the Civil Secretariat and other government offices from Jammu to Srinagar in summer, and vice versa in winter – is all set to make a comeback after a gap of four years.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday announced the revival of the practice this winter, stating that his cabinet had already given its nod for restoration of “full Darbar Move’’.
Talking to media persons here, he said the file containing cabinet recommendation was sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval. “The LG has now approved the file and sent it back to the government,’’ Abdullah said. “I, too, have put my signatures on it today (Thursday) and the orders will be issued,” he added.
In 2021, LG Sinha administration had taken the decision to end the practice of Darbar Move. It was initiated in 1872 by Maharaja Gulab Singh, the first Dogra ruler of erstwhile J&K State that included areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The idea behind this practice was to take the administration to the doorsteps of the people in view of poor road communication between the two regions at that time.
The practice continued after independence; but, of late, many had started questioning it, pointing out that the government was moving to Jammu when people in Kashmir needed it the most during harsh winters of the Valley and vice versa.
As part of Darbar Move, over 10,000 employees from nearly 150 government departments along with official records would shift from one capital city to another within J&K twice a year. To accomplish this mega exercise, the government used to hire hundreds of buses and trucks. This was apart from the TA (Travel Allowance) and DA (Dearness Allowance) payable to employees every time.
A few years ago, a PIL was filed in the J&K High Court challenging the practice. The petitioner argued that it led to massive expenses besides having an impact on the administration.
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Disposing of the PIL, the Court, in May 2020, remarked that the Darbar Move results in wastage of tremendous amounts of time, effort and energy on “inefficient and unnecessary activity”, besides taxing the forces that provide security to the moving employees and the official records.
Ending the practice in 2021, the LG administration had said it would save the government Rs 200 crore every year.
However, the last couple of years have seen a growing demand by mainstream political parties, business community and the civil society for the resumption of the move. Many batting for the move said it acted as a link between people of two regions and fostered communal harmony. The LG administration later allowed a few senior bureaucrats to move between Jammu and Srinagar along with staff of their respective offices every year.
