'Darbar Move' to Jammu in full swing after 4-year hiatus

The scramble to move the seat of power to Jammu has begun after a four-year hiatus enforced by the Lt Governor's administration.

The practice of Darbar Move, halted in 2021, was revived this year by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government.

The decision prompted a major facelift drive across the winter capital of Jammu as civic bodies rushed to spruce up and beautify offices.

On October 16, the Jammu and Kashmir government ordered that the offices in Srinagar must be closed by October 31, hours after Abdullah announced restoration of the tradition introduced by Dogra rulers in 1872.

The decision has been welcomed by the people, especially Jammu traders, who treated it as a Diwali gift.

In 2021, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration scrapped the tradition, citing a complete transition to e-office, which, it claimed, could help save Rs 200 crore per year.

However, the decision came up for sharp criticism from several quarters, including the Jammu business community and politicians, who said that the Darbar Move bound the two regions.

The NC had promised a revival of the practice in its poll manifesto. Officials said a facelift project is underway in and outside the civil secretariat and Raj Bhawan.

Many city roads, which suffered damage due to record rainfall in August, are being restored, and labourers are busy cleaning the pathways and painting the roadsides, they said.

Security has been tightened in and around the civil secretariat, Raj Bhawan, other key installations, and employees' accommodations.

Deployment of police and paramilitary forces has been strengthened in the city, as well as along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.