Striking a chord with the members of the civil society in Jammu, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday announced his government was committed to restoring the practice of the 'Darbar Move'.

Omar made this announcement after attending a three-hour-long meeting with the members of the civil society in Jammu at his official residence. The meeting was attended by prominent citizens from different sections of the society.

This is the second major policy decision in which the popular government has decided to reverse the decision of the Union Territory administration headed by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha.

Soon after taking charge, the Omar government reversed the academic calendar in the Kashmir Valley by switching from the March session to the traditional November session in the winter zones of the Union Territory.

Darbar Move is a bi-annual shifting of the Civil Secretariat and other offices of the state government from Jammu to Srinagar in summer, and vice versa in winter. The practice was discontinued in November 2021.

The practice, introduced by Dogra rulers nearly 150 years ago, was stopped by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in June 2021, citing the administration’s complete transition to e-office which could help save Rs 200 crore per year.

However, the decision came up for sharp criticism from various quarters including the Jammu business community and politicians who termed the exercise as a bond between the two regions.

Briefing media persons at his residence Omar maintained, “Darbar move is an issue which I fail to understand why it was not projected during campaigning for assembly polls. The issue gained momentum only after the election result although we have mentioned it in our manifesto and meetings,” Abdullah said.

“We assure you that the Darbar move will be restored. Jammu has its own importance and we will not allow its uniqueness to diminish,” he told reporters.