*CM admits Darbar Move can’t be done away with
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 19: In a significant food for thought, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has mooted the idea of reversing the timing of Darbar Move i.e. keeping it in Jammu during summer and Kashmir during winter so that problems of the people were well attended by the Government especially at a time when the people need the Government most.
Admitting that the process of Darbar Move can’t be done away with, Omar tweeted today that the process of escapism by shifting to Jammu during winter and Srinagar during summer needs to be seriously considered.
“Stop this escapism of running away at most problematic times—stay in Srinagar during winter and Jammu in summer to address the problems’’, Omar said in his tweet.
Presently, the trend is reverse. Shifting of the State capital between Jammu and Srinagar twice every year is escapist’’, Omar said. The Civil Secretariat i.e. the seat of the Government shifts to Srinagar during summer for six months and then returns to Jammu with the onset of winter for six months.
The Darbar moves to Srinagar in the last week of April when summer sets in at Jammu and the weather is pleasant in the Valley. It again moves to Jammu in last week of October when winter starts getting harsher in the Valley and weather is almost normal in Jammu barring few days of January.
The practice of Darbar Move had been started during the rule of Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 and had been going on since then.
Presently the Darbar Move had been costing about Rs 100 crores to the State exchequer—Rs 50 crores every time in summer and winter. The cost would remain the same even if the Darbar stayed in Jammu during summer and Kashmir during winter. The Government also spends crores of rupees on travel allowance for nearly 5000 Move employees and transportation of hundreds of thousands of files between the twin capitals.
“Since the Darbar Move cannot be done away with, perhaps, the time has come to seriously consider reversing the move’’, Omar tweeted while admitting that it was not possible to keep the Darbar at one place—either in Jammu or in Srinagar—in view of strong regional sentiments on both sides and, therefore, the Government had to be at the place where it was more required during summer or winter to address problems of the people.
Worthwhile to mention here that two days of heavy snowfall in Kashmir had thrown the life out of gear in most parts of the Valley in view of power shutdown at various places. It took the Power Development Department several hours to restore power. The administration also took its time in clearing the major roads while some roads in upper reaches were yet to be restored.
However, at this time, since the Civil Secretariat is in Jammu, majority of Ministers were stationed here. Some of the Ministers had to rush to the Valley to address problems of the people.
Almost similar is the case in Jammu during summer when mercury hovered around 45 degree Celsius and the power breakdowns become quite often causing enormous problems to the people. At that time, the Civil Secretariat shifts to Srinagar and the Ministers are found wanting to come to rescue of the people.
The Government has kept the provision of Summer Secretariat in Jammu and Winter Secretariat in Srinagar. In summer when the Secretariat is in Srinagar, one Minister sits in Summer Secretariat for a week on rotation basis. A similar practice is followed in Srinagar when the Secretariat shifts to Jammu during winter.
Political observers noted that the Chief Minister’s tweet that time has come to seriously consider reversing the move (of Darbar practice)—to keep it in Jammu during summer and Srinagar during winter—was definitely worth implementation as it would go a long way in mitigating problems of the people.
“The Government should be at a place where it was required the most. As the Government can’t do away with the practice of Darbar Move, which the Chief Minister has himself admitted, in view of regional aspirations, it would be a good move if the Civil Secretariat stays at Jammu for six months of summer and Srinagar for six months of winters’’, the observers opined.
This way the problems of both the regions would be adequately addressed during summer and winter as the entire Government machinery including the Governor, the Chief Minister, the Ministers and top bureaucrats would be at Jammu during summer and Srinagar during winter when the people face problems related to harsh weather conditions.
“The idea is definitely good. It’s a good food for thought and shouldn’t only be discussed or tweeted but implemented in letter and spirit as it would definitely help the people’’, the observers asserted.
Started in 1872 by then Maharaja Gulab Singh, the practice of Darbar Move continued even after the Independence so that people from both Jammu and Kashmir regions have equal access to the seat of power during the year.
In 1987, the then Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, presently National Conference president and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy had tried to end the practice of Darbar Move by keeping the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar.
Dr Abdullah had ordered permanent stationing of 20 Departments in Srinagar and 17 in Jammu by an official order issued on October 7, 1987. However, a strong agitation and an indefinite bandh in Jammu region followed by the intervention of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had rushed his Home Minister Buta Singh to Jammu, had forced Dr Abdullah to revoke the order and defused the crisis.
On April 19, 2012 when the Darbar was about to move to Srinagar, Omar had termed the shifting of the State capital between Jammu and Srinagar twice every year as “waste of money’’ but admitted that no viable alternative to the arrangement has come forth so far.
“Do I think the Darbar Move is a waste of Money? Yes I do. Is there an alternative? I haven’t seen a viable alternative suggested’’, Omar had said.
Sources said the Darbar Move costs State more on other fronts than on the economic front. “If we go by the figures, it may not be that big an amount but the Move brings with it high cost of inconvenience and effects overall governance,” sources said.
“The Move offices close some 8 to 10 days ahead of the move every six months, which means that the offices practically work for 11 months and thereby affecting governance,” sources said.
According to sources, more than 40 offices and their sub-departments move in full while 45 departments move in camp. The camp offices carry 33 per cent of their staff strength or 10 officials, whichever is minimum.
All the move offices, apart from the manpower and other office paraphernalia, shift truck-loads of official records every six months. Special arrangements are made for the transportation of the records in the state-owned SRTC buses and trucks, which are requisitioned by respective departments.
For around 7000 Move employees—including Secretariat employees, police, judiciary and Corporations—the TA alone runs to the tune of Rs 3.5 crores. Around 3000-3500 employees also avail Government accommodation.
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