SAHIL BHAT
JAMMU, Nov 3: With the commencement of biannual “Darbar Move” post a gap of 4-year, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday walked to his office at Civil Secretariat Jammu.
While walking through the Residency Road and Raghunath Bazar, the business fraternity gave him rousing reception as a mark to hail his decision to revive the historic Darbar Move that was stopped in 2021.
It is learnt that the Darbar Move entails shifting the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s offices between Srinagar and Jammu with the change in seasons.
Pertinent to mention, the ‘Darbar Move’ was commenced by the Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872. It was halted by LG Manoj Sinha in June 2021, citing that the administration’s work is via e-office and it would save around Rs 200 Cr annually.
LG Sinha faced backlash over the decision especially from the business community highlighting that it would affect their business profoundly. Since, then the business communities have made a strong pitch for the revival of Darbar Move.
On October 16, CM Omar Abdullah fulfilled his election promise by resuming the ‘Darbar Move’, bringing a much-needed respite to the business community.
CM Omar, flanked by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Minister Javed Rana, left his official residence around 9 am and walked a few kilometres to reach the Civil Secretariat.
The market was abuzz with traders waiting in queues to garland the Chief Minister. Traders showered flower petals and distributed sweets amid fanfare.
Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Arun Gupta was among the first ones to greet the CM Omar on the occasion.
