Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday walked to his office at the Jammu Civil Secretariat, marking the resumption of the biannual ‘Darbar Move’ after a gap of four years.
Jubilant traders accorded him a grand welcome and thanked him for his decision to revive the age-old tradition that was halted in 2021.
The ‘Darbar Move’ involves shifting the Jammu and Kashmir government offices between Srinagar and Jammu with the changing seasons every year.
The Srinagar Civil Secretariat and other government offices closed on October 30 and 31 and started functioning from the winter capital on Monday for the next six months.
The Darbar Move was started by the Dogra rulers about 150 years ago. It was stopped by LG Manoj Sinha in June 2021, citing the administration’s complete transition to the e-office system, which, he said, would save around Rs 200 crore annually.
The decision immediately drew a strong response from various sections, including Jammu’s business community, which termed the move a blow to trade, ending the traditional bond between Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu trading community worked tirelessly to revive the practice ever since it was halted by the LG administration.
On October 16, Abdullah fulfilled his election promise by reviving the ‘Darbar Move’, bringing relief to the business community here.
Traders turned up in large numbers and garlanded the Chief Minister, showered flower petals, and distributed sweets amid drumbeats during his journey to the Jammu office.
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