Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday announced resumption of the traditional Darbar Move – the practice of swapping capital between Srinagar and Jammu cities — after a gap of more than four years. The practice was stopped by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in 2021.
Though the move, in the backdrop of the government’s claims of digitalisation and e-governance, sounds stupid, the ruling dispensation has been trying to sell it as a major development.
Addressing a press conference here, the CM said the cabinet has given the nod for the revival of the century-old practice. “The file was sent to the Lieutenant Governor and has been approved. The government is reviving the practice soon,” he said.
The Cabinet had recommended a return to the full-fledged Darbar Move in September this year.
Following the Chief Minister’s announcement, the J&K Government ordered the transfer of government offices from Srinagar to Jammu for the winter season 2025–26.
According to the order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on October 16, 2025, offices observing a five-day work week will close in Srinagar on October 31, while the six-day offices will close on November 1. All departments will reopen in Jammu on November 3 (Monday).
The order specifies that offices listed in Annexure A will move to Jammu “in full”, while those in Annexure B will move “in camp” with one-third of their staff or at least 10 officials.
The Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) will provide adequate buses on November 1 and 2 for transporting employees, with advance ticketing from October 27, according to the order.
Each convoy will be escorted by J&K Police with cranes, empty buses, and mobile workshops accompanying the movement to prevent inconvenience.
Medical aid facilities will be arranged at Qazigund, Banihal, Ramsu, Ramban, Chenani, Udhampur, and Jhajjar Kotli by the Health and Medical Education Department.
Employees will receive a Special Move TA of Rs 25,000 while those who fail to move within the prescribed dates will forfeit the allowance, the order states. The salary for October will be disbursed on October 31, and advance pay may be sanctioned for non-gazetted staff.
The order further directs that no employee shall occupy government accommodation without proper allotment. The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department will ensure ration supply at Jammu residential colonies.
The Winter Secretariat will function at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar during the move. The Estates Department has been tasked with providing accommodation to officers and staff as per past practice.
Office timings in Jammu will be 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm for the Civil Secretariat and 10:00 am to 4:30 pm for other departments observing a six-day work week.
The practice of Darbar Move was initiated in 1872 by Maharaja Gulab Singh to move the capital between Jammu in the winter and Srinagar in the summer.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday used the occasion of the National Conference (NC) government’s one-year anniversary to renew a passionate appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the restoration of statehood, calling it the single-most important solution to all the issues facing the Union territory.
Addressing reporters at the NC headquarters here, Abdullah expressed disappointment that the Central government had not honoured its commitment on statehood during his administration’s first year.
“We were hopeful that the Centre would fulfill its promise to restore statehood (to J&K) in the first year of our government, but it has not happened,” Abdullah said, adding, “We still believe that the solution to all the problems facing Jammu and Kashmir lies in the restoration of statehood.”
The chief minister directly urged the prime minister and the Union government to fulfill the “solemn promise” made to the people from the floor of Parliament and the Supreme Court.
Abdullah took a sharp dig at the BJP for its failure to deliver on a key election promise, particularly in the Jammu region where the party secured a large number of seats.
“The BJP had promised statehood to the people of J&K, why has it not been fulfilled,” he asked, recalling that BJP leaders previously taunted the NC, saying statehood would come “from Delhi and not from J&K or Srinagar”.
The chief minister also addressed speculation that the delay in restoring statehood was a tactic to pressure his government into a back-door alliance with the BJP.
It will be a very sad thing if the people of J&K are deprived of statehood only because the BJP could not form the government, Abdullah said.
“If people wanted a BJP government, they would have made a BJP government in 2024… We have no intention of allowing the BJP from the back door,” he clarified.
“BJP never said in the Supreme Court or in Parliament that they will give statehood only when the chief minister is from BJP. They only talked about a three-step process – delimitation, election, and statehood. No ifs, no buts,” he asserted.
Responding to a question on NC’s strategy if the Centre doesn’t restore statehood, Abdullah said he is hopeful of early restoration of the same.
“I am not the one who will resort to threats to gain anything. I am still hoping that without threatening, without spoiling the situation in J&K, the promises that have been made to the people of J-K will be fulfilled,” he said.
Marking the one-year milestone, Abdullah pledged to continue efforts for the overall development of Jammu and Kashmir and to fulfill the promises made in NC’s election manifesto.
Noting the unique challenges of governing a UT, Abdullah said, “Heading a government in a UT is a different experience. We were hoping that the Centre would fulfill its promise on statehood, but it has not happened yet. But we will not back down from our efforts.”
Abdullah also highlighted his government’s proactive steps toward its political agenda and said “we have made a start. Be it the political promises we made… to bring a resolution in the Assembly on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, or to get a resolution approved in the Cabinet for the restoration of statehood — we did both things.”
Responding to opposition demands for a one-year report card, the chief minister reiterated that the mandate was for a full term.
“If you have to judge us on the basis of our manifesto, do it after the government completes its full five-year term because no government fulfills all its promises in six months or one year,” he said, assuring that a comprehensive report would be submitted upon the completion of five years.
