Darbar move: Halted by L-G govt., demand to resume capital shifting gains pace in J&K

J&K News: There is a growing demand for the resumption of ‘Darbar Move’, an annual affair of shifting capitals between Jammu and Srinagar in J&K, as the ruling party as well as several regional Opposition parties have started forcefully raising it.

Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) president and Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid held a street protest along with his supporters outside Srinagar’s Civil Secretariat on Friday. It’s the first street protest over the ‘Darbar Move’, which was discontinued in 2020 by the J&K Lieutenant-Governor.

“’Darbar Move‘ is a tradition integral to ensuring social integration and good governance across Jammu and Kashmir. People are in chaos and suffering as J&K stands capital-less,” Mr. Rashid said.

CPI(M) MLA M.Y. Tarigami said the restoration of the traditional ‘Darbar Move’ should be prioritized in the larger interest of both divisions, Jammu as well as Kashmir”.

J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, who addressed a gathering in Jammu on Friday, said, “Resumption of the Darbar Move is essential for reviving the economy of Jammu. The Darbar Move will not only ensure administrative efficiency but also stimulate local businesses and industries.”

Tanvir Sadiq, another NC MLA, said his party was committed to restoring the Darbar Move “for the unity and seamless governance of J&K”.

Over 150 years old tradition, the practice of shifting capital to Srinagar in summers and Jammu in winters was introduced by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 and hundreds of carts driven by horses and elephants were employed to move to Kashmir on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. A total of 151 government departments would shift capital twice a year in J&K and hundreds of buses and trucks are employed to accomplish the task. Over 10,000 employees moved with it.

In May 2020, the J&K High Court suggested that the ‘Darbar Move’ “results in wastage of tremendous amount of time, efforts, and energy on inefficient and unnecessary activity [say, packing of records]“. “It’s taxing for security forces too. It nurtures inefficiency and leads to lack of governance,” the court observed. Later, the L-G administration brought an end to the process, which badly impacted the business in Jammu.

 

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