Surprisingly, four years after centuries old practice of bi-annual Darbar Move was stopped, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has now announced its revival saying the decision to this effect taken by the UT Cabinet earlier has also been signed by the Lieutenant Governor.
It is perplexing that after achieving so much in the field of digital governance, which has transformed administrative efficiency, what was the need of biannual Darbar Move, involving the physical shifting of government offices between Jammu and Srinagar? With the e-file system now fully operational, giving access to records and communication while remaining in any part of the world, there is no justification for spending crores of rupees and disrupting governance twice a year.
This kind of wastage of time and fiscal drain shows bankruptcy of minds of those running the affairs of J&K because it is not at all advisable to drain public exchequer in such a lofty manner just to satiate a lobby of a handful of traders of Jammu and Srinagar as the end to Darbar Move has affected their businesses because there was no other relevance of this practice, which was designed to benefit people by providing them facility near their doorsteps. What was relevant a decade ago has no relevance today and the government should revisit the decision looking into extravagance involved in this move.
It is pertinent to mention that the practice of Darbar Move was done away in 2021 by the LG administration on the ground of burden on the State exchequer mainly caused by shifting of record to and fro Srinagar, the twin capital cities of Jammu and Kashmir, after every six months.
As per the past practice, the Civil secretariat functioned for six months in Srinagar (May-October) and six months in Jammu (November-April). The Darbar Move traces its origins to 1872 under Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the Dogra ruler who began transferring the royal court between Srinagar and Jammu to escape the extreme weather in both regions.
For now, the Darbar Move has been restored and the Darbar Move offices observing five days a week will close in Srinagar on October 31 after office hours and those observing six days a week will close on November 1, and the same will reopen in Jammu on November 3.
In conclusion, the revival of the bi-annual Darbar Move appears both unnecessary and wasteful in today’s context of advanced digital governance. With e-file systems ensuring seamless access to records and communication from anywhere, physically shifting government offices twice a year imposes an avoidable financial and administrative burden on the public exchequer. What was once a practical solution for convenience and climate has now become an extravagant exercise that disrupts governance and drains resources. The government should reconsider this decision, prioritizing efficiency, fiscal prudence, and the larger public interest over outdated traditions.
