Jammu . Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the uniqueness of Jammu will not be allowed to be diminished and his government will restore the practice of ‘Darbar Move’. ‘Darbar Move’ is an old practice whereby the Civil Secretariat and other government offices move to Srinagar and Jammu for six months each during summer and winter respectively. This practice, which was started by the Dogra rulers about 150 years ago, was banned by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in June, 2021. To stop this practice, a complete change in the e-office of the administration was cited, which could lead to savings of Rs 200 crore every year.
The decision was, however, sharply criticized by various sections including the business community and politicians of Jammu. Abdullah said, “Darbar Move is an issue about which I cannot understand why it was not raised during the campaign for the assembly elections. The issue gained momentum only after the election results, although we had mentioned it in our manifesto and meetings,” he said after presiding over a more than three-hour meeting with representatives of civil organizations at his official residence here. “We assure you that the ‘Darbar Move’ practice will be restored,” he told reporters. Jammu has its own importance and we will not let its uniqueness diminish.
Abdullah said that the government takes its own decisions which impact the public. He said, “After any decision, whether its impact is right or wrong, there is a need to get feedback…. Sometimes it becomes difficult to get the right feedback within the government system because mostly you are surrounded by people who only praise you.
He said, “Therefore when such a meeting of civic bodies is held, most of the participants come without any agenda and give their feedback and suggestions which prove beneficial.” Abdullah said that the purpose of this meeting is to give suggestions. Had to be obtained so that they could be implemented. The Chief Minister said that such meetings would be held twice a year in Jammu and Srinagar. He said that one of these meetings will be held in summer and the other in winter. “Many issues came up during the meeting,” he said. As I said in the meeting, all the issues raised have been noted and we will inform the participants about the action report in the next meeting.
