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SRINAGAR: After a four-year freeze, ‘Darbar Move’—the biannual relocation of Jammu and Kashmir civil secretariat between summer capital Srinagar and winter capital Jammu—was formally restored on Monday with its opening in Jammu.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, speaking at the ceremonial opening, declared the 150-year-old tradition restored in full, predicting a sharp economic rebound for Jammu and stronger emotional bonds across the Pir Panjal. Introduced in 1872 by Dogra Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the ‘Darbar Move’ was engineered for both climate and cohesion. Heavy winter snows once isolated Srinagar; shifting the entire administrative machinery to Jammu ensured uninterrupted governance. In May, the caravan returned north.Beyond logistics, the practice knitted together Jammu’s Dogra heartland and Kashmir Valley, with thousands of employees, families, and files crossing the mountains twice yearly. For Jammu’s traders, the winter influx was oxygen-hotels filled, markets buzzed, and roadside dhabas ran overtime. However, annual expenditure—officially pegged at ₹200 crore—was dismissed by the Lieutenant Governor regime as wasteful in an age of e-offices. In June 2021, Manoj Sinha halted the practice, insisting dual secretariats could run year-round. Jammu’s business chambers protested instantly, warning of shuttered shops and lost livelihoods. During the campaigning for the 2024 Assembly elections, the National Conference–Congress alliance placed the ‘Darbar Move’ at the heart of its manifesto. On October 15, marking his first year in office, Chief Minister Abdullah announced Cabinet approval and Lt. Governor clearance. “We forwarded the file and received the green signal. The Darbar is back—at the earliest,” he told reporters. Yet a quiet tug-of-war surfaced last week. With the Home Department under direct Lt. Governor control, Principal Secretary Chandraker Bharti issued orders for nine key offices—including Police Headquarters, Prisons, Fire Services, and Forensic Labs—to operate simultaneously in both capitals. Heads of Department were directed to split staff “equitably.” The move stops short of physical relocation for security wings, revealing lingering Centre–Union Territory friction over administrative optics.On Monday, Jammu city erupted in welcome. Flower petals rained on the Chief Minister’s convoy and it took him an hour to travel three kilometres to reach the seat of government-Civil Secretariat. “Look at this love,” Abdullah told journalists outside the revived secretariat. “The Darbar’s return is not just files and furniture—it is Jammu’s heartbeat restored.” He accused the 2021 decision of prioritising spreadsheets over sentiment. “Not every treasure is counted in rupees. This tradition tied Srinagar’s soul to Jammu’s soil. Suspending it wounded our unity; reviving it heals that wound,” he asserted. The Chief Minister engaged warmly with traders and civil society members at Shahidi Chowk and Raghunath Bazar before arriving at the Civil Secretariat, Jammu. He was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour upon his arrival, heralding the traditional ‘Darbar Move’ and the opening of offices in the winter capital. The Chief Minister inspected the parade and interacted with officers and staff present. After formally inaugurating the offices, he chaired a high-level meeting with the Council of Ministers and Administrative Secretaries to review departmental performance and ensure seamless administrative readiness post the ‘Darbar Move’. Jammu Chamber of Commerce president Rahul Sahai said, “Hoteliers along Jewel Chowk and Residency Road reported 90 percent advance bookings. Taxi unions added extra vehicles. Sweet-shop owners stacked fresh Kalari,” adding, “Six months of guaranteed salary spending will inject at least ₹800 crore directly into Jammu’s markets.” Special buses and trucks began ferrying records south from Srinagar to Jammu on October 30. The Chief Minister said full operational normalcy may take a week. “Departments are settling, officers are finding desks and by next Monday, winter capital will hum at 100 percent,” he said.Concluding his remarks beneath portraits of founder of Dogra dynastic rule Maharaja Gulab Singh and his grandfather and legendary Kashmiri leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the Chief Minister issued a larger appeal saying, “Some politicians widen the gap between Jammu and Srinagar for votes. We are here to narrow it—one Darbar at a time.”As the Tricolour snapped smartly above the Secretariat and employees lined up for the first roll-call of winter, Jammu tasted a victory that rang in both ledgers and hearts. For the first time since 2021, the City of Temples will greet the season with the familiar growl of government convoys—and the quiet, hard-won vow that no valley, no plain, will ever again be left out in the cold.
