This is the time when Darbar Move employeesin Jammu normally start packing up for shifting to much cooler climes inKashmir under the Dogra rulers’ feudal system of bi-annual move of Secretariatand some other offices. But the pandemicCoronavirus has put brakes on it till 15 June, 2020, breaking the conventional’sanctity’ by ‘halting’ 148 year old feudal system of Darbar Move for the firsttime, forcing administrators and planners to explore a viable solution,harmonious to political and administrative necessities of J&K.
The delay in Darbar Move is both good &bad for about 10000 odd such employees: good for the reason of personal safetyfrom COVID-19 since Kashmir is much more effected than Jammu with more than 83%of the total positive cases 74 out 90 Red Zones in UT and bad because ofsweltering heat of Jammu’s summer to which most of the Kashmiri employees areneither accustomed nor equipped to face it. However, the silver lining is that most of Kashmiri Move employees havesince rushed to their homes following national lockdown. This has brought intofocus the already generated debate on doing away with Darbar Move.
Ending Darbar Move and locating theSecretariat permanently at one place is as sensitive as Article 370. Modi Govtabrogated Article 370 last year but solution to this contentious issue remainedelusive. Unlike Article 370, it is not a constitutional issue but a politicaland conventional one.
As per the well-established system, theSecretariat opens at Srinagar on the first Monday of May & at Jammu, on thefirst Monday of November. Over the years, every bi-annual shifting of the seatof the Govt evoked the usual narrativeof “draining of public exchequer” andloss of nearly one month’s Govt work in a year, quite a substantial loss. Whilethere has been near unanimity on doing away with Darbar Move but no proposalwas ever formulated, much less the decision on this sensitive issue.
Despite national lockdown, now extended up to 3rd May, the UT Govt has earlier tried to stick to the schedule of Darbar Move but with a new concept of “as is where is”. Practically, almost all Kashmiri employees are in Kashmir, having rushed to their homes before lockdown became stringent and only a handful of senior officers are still in Jammu. Like elsewhere, all Govt offices including the Secretariat at winter capital are non-functional except the essential services and critical departments in the Secretariat with higher echelon of bureaucracy delivering whatever it requires. The earlier order had ‘divided’ the Secretariat to keep both Secretariats “functional” at Jammu & Srinagar which was once attempted way back in October 1987 by the then CM, Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
The mental blocks continued to prevailbetween the regions, mainly due to different regional aspirations and relatedsentiments. Both the regions are diverse culturally, socially andlinguistically even though quite many Kashmiri Muslims have made Jammu as theirsecond home, while conversely it is not so for Jammuites in Srinagar. This isbecause neither this facility was ever extended to non-Muslim Jammuites insummer capital, nor they were ever keen to live in perceived ‘hostile’ land.
Shifting of employees of Jammu to Srinagarand vice versa has been one significant factor that perennially facilitatedinter-regional personal, social and trade relationship that has withstood allturbulences. It also gives push to the economy of both the Capital cities. Ascompared to summer capital, greater number of Kashmiri families, Ladakhis aswell, descend on Jammu in winter and are visible everywhere in Jammu especiallyin malls, showrooms, eating jaunts, coaching centres, cinema halls, gyms etc.,boosting local economy. The other important factor is the sentiments attachedwith the shifting of the Secretariat. There is a strong perception in both theregions that with shifting of Darbar Move, the Govt comes to their doorsteps,at least for six months that helps in redressing their multifarious problemspending at Secretariat level. For these gains, cost of Darbar Move is justpeanuts.
Whatever Omar Abdullah might have felt onDarbar Move when he was CM, it had always been a political necessity to keepboth principal regions politically relevant and satisfied even though RajivGandhi as PM had ridiculed it when he along with Dr. Farooq Abdullah latewinter night drove to Srinagar, encountering snowfall at different places onthe highway in January, 1987. He had said that it was strange that while thepeople of Kashmir were suffering due to rigors of winter, the Govt wascomfortably lodged in Jammu and asked Farooq to review it, unaware of thepolitical significance of Jammu as winter capital.
While many political leaders had beentalking loud about dispensing with Darbar Move but finding public support ofthen PM Rajiv Gandhi, Dr. Farooq Abdullah was the only CM who attempted to’lessen the burden of Darbar Move’ on October 7, 1987. But Jammu found thetruncated Darbar Move against its interest and launched agitation led by BarAssociation Jammu. Farooq had shifted 17 Departments to Jammu while permanentlystationed other 20 Departments at Srinagar. Jammu suspected his politicalmotive as Jammu relevant Industry Department was retained in Srinagar. Thecomplete shutdown in Jammu region forced Rajiv Gandhi to intervene and theorder was rescinded on November 14, 1987. At NC bidding, Kashmir BarAssociation too had launched a counter agitation for declaring Srinagar as apermanent Capital, reflection of Kashmir’s aspirations.
The Darbar Move has a historicalbackground. Jammu was ruled by Dogras while Kashmir remained under differentnon Kashmiri Rulers and came under the Sikh Rule in 1819. In was in 1846 thatKashmir came under Dogra Rule of Jammu under the Treaty of Amritsar after the Sikhs lost to the Britishers andthus became the State of Jammu & Kashmir for the first time. For more than25 years, Kashmir was administered from Jammu which happened to be the capital.But in 1872, Maharaja Ranbir Singh, (1857-1885), a great visionary, initiated aconcept of Darbar Move. Some historians say that it was on the ‘advice’ ofBritish Regent to address the grievances of Kashmiris who felt neglected at thehands of Dogra Rulers while many claim that it was out of Maharaja’s ownvolition. A widespread erroneous impression was created that it was done by theMaharaja to have best of both the worlds: away from the scorching heat of Jammuduring summer and chilling cold of Kashmir during winter, which was justincidental.
End of Dogra monarchy with the dawn ofindependence took away many privileges, rights and even status from Jammu.Kashmir with nearly hundred percent Muslim area and a new ruling class becamethe political and economic focal point with Jammu relegated to a lower status.While Srinagar became the official capital of the State but the Darbar Movecontinued and Govt functioned from two Secretariats on six month basis.
It was only in 1992 during President Rulewith Garry Saxena as the Governor, Jammu was officially declared as WinterCapital in the face of Jammu agitation on regional discrimination on manymatters. As a sequel to the agreement, the process of bifurcation of HoDs ondivisional level began and now all departments stood divided with exception ofhardly half a dozen which can’t be divided. With this the size of Darbar Movesupposed to be reduced but it didn’t happen. Initially, it started with hardlya hundred odd persons, remained small even after Independence, but the numberreached to about 5000 in 1987 with a cost of about Rs 3.50 crore and now toabout 10112. Since perks have increased manifold since 1987 like Rs. 25000 asTMA, the cost must have run to Rs130 crore.
Jagmohan’s bold and momentous decision totake the Darbar to Srinagar in May 1990 in the face of terrorism in Kashmir andhis equally brave aide Hamidullah Khan, brought some semblance in Govtfunctioning in summer capital which otherwise had collapsed due to indefinitestrike by Govt employees of Kashmir. Jammu employees accepted the risk to theirlives with commitment to the nation and went to Srinagar under heavy securitybandobast and made Secretariat at Srinagar functional. But today’s situationwith invisible deadly coronavirus is altogether different that necessitated Lt.Governor to defer Darbar move. The retention of “as is where is” in themodified order of April 17 is to facilitate joining of those Kashmiri employeeswho had already “rushed” to their homes in Kashmir without permission followinglockdown. Mostly lower and middle rung employees would report at Srinagar Secretariaton May 4, 2020 without formal opening, only if restrictions on movement arelifted.
Technological intervention is one way-outto get rid of the archaic system of ferrying truckloads of thousands of officefiles during Darbar Move by digitizing files & other record. The processhas been commenced in the Secretariat and on completion, likely by 2021, thisoutdated system would fade into history. Initially, the records and manyarticles were ferried in carts from Jammu on the road that was named as BanihalCart Road (B.C. Road). Even as all good things come to an end, but Darbar Movecontinued for 148 years. Some bold initiatives areneeded to change it, or at least, reduce the moving employees by furtherdecentralization of powers, including financial with stringent accountability,to divisional Heads of the Deptt. Virtual Secretariat would be an option.