Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar
Srinagar, Oct 17: In a landmark decision, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has announced the restoration of the 150-year-old Darbar Move — the biannual tradition of shifting the Union Territory’s capital between Srinagar and Jammu. The decision comes as the Omar Abdullah-led government completes its first year in office.
The Darbar Move, a legacy practice introduced by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872, involves moving the capital to Jammu during winter and to Srinagar during summer, ensuring accessibility of governance for people across both regions.
“We had promised to restore the Darbar Move. The Cabinet has approved it, and it has also received the nod from the Lt Governor. Today, I have signed the order,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced on Thursday.
Within hours of the announcement, the J&K General Administration Department issued a formal notification stating that all government offices, including the Chief Minister’s Office, will begin functioning from Jammu — the Union Territory’s winter capital.
The centuries-old tradition had been discontinued in 2021 under Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who cited cost-cutting reasons, claiming that the move would save the exchequer nearly ?200 crore annually. The decision had come in the wake of the Centre’s abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which allowed major administrative reforms in the region.
The suspension of the Darbar Move had particularly affected Jammu’s economy. Local traders had long protested the decision, stating that it deprived the region of its seasonal business boost. In 2022, the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries even launched a campaign demanding restoration of the practice and observed a complete strike against the then LG administration.
Welcoming the latest decision, trade bodies and political leaders have hailed the move as both economically beneficial and symbolic of Jammu and Kashmir’s unity and coexistence.
“Ending this tradition had badly hit Jammu’s economy. The restoration of the Darbar Move is a welcome and much-needed step,” said a local trade leader, expressing optimism about the region’s revived business prospects.