Jammu, July 03, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the decision by the authorities to end 149-year old practice of ‘Darbar Move’ has evoked sharp reaction from the business community in Jammu region. Traders are demanding that the decision should be rolled back to save them from facing more losses.

Manmohan Singh, ex-president Traders Federation Raghunath Bazaar while talking to media said, “The J and K government is claiming that by calling of the Darbar Move practice it has saved Rs 200 crore expenditure, it seems someone needs to tell them that the scrapping the practice they have caused loss of Rs 500 crore to Jammu traders, who used to pay tax for every penny they earned.”

Singh said that in 1988 the then chief minister of erstwhile J and K State Dr Farooq Abdullah had issued an order calling off the Darbar Move practice. “At that point of time the then president of Jammu Bar Association D K Khajuria had led the agitation against the decision following which the then government led by Dr Farooq Abdullah rolled back its decision.”

He said, “The people who have taken this decision are outsiders, they are unaware about the ground realities. Kashmir witnesses 40-day Chillai-Kalan in December-January months and everything freezes there. Everything remains affected in chilly conditions. They are clueless about how they will run the offices in such weather conditions.”

Another businessman, Devi Sharma said, “Every trader will tell you that business in winter months used to be better than summer months in Jammu. Family members of Darbar Move employees used to throng Jammu and every trader from small to big used to get benefited. By scrapping the Darbar Move practice they have bombarded our businesses.” He said, “As it’s we are facing losses due to COVID-19, Amarnath Yatra has been cancelled, number of tourists visiting Vaishno Devi shrine has declined and now Darbar Move also has been called off. Jammu traders have been left in lurch.”

Sharma said that the government didn’t take the business community into confidence before taking this decision. “It’s a unilateral move and Jammu traders have already conveyed their displeasure to Jammu Chamber of Commerce and have asked it to decide the future course of action. Jammu economy is completely dependent on tourism and Kashmiris who sued to come here in winter along with their families. We are suffering losses and can’t bear it anymore. Chamber needs to take everyone on board and decide how to counter this move. It won’t hit Kashmir but would definitely have direct impact on Jammu’s economy.”

It’s in place to mention here that thousands of Kashmiri families would visit Jammu during the winter season. While the bi-annual Darbar would stay in Jammu for six months of the winters, the move employees from Kashmir would generally be flanked by their families, other nears and dears. “From renting accommodations to staying in hotels and doing shopping, the darbar was a good business in Jammu. Infact some of the malls and marketplaces would be more flooded with Kashmiris than locals during winters,” said another businessman.

Explaining his point further, he said: “From hoteliers to landlords to shopkeepers to dhabas and restaurants almost every sector of business would get benefitted by Durbar which definitely used to be a business season for Jammu.” The 149-year-old tradition of shifting capitals between Srinagar and Jammu, by moving hundreds of official files physically in trucks on the treacherous Jammu-Srinagar highway, came to an end on June 30 this year. The IIOJK authorities served notice to employees to vacate the ‘Darbar Move’ related accommodations in three weeks in Jammu and Srinagar.

“Cancellation of allotment of residential accommodation of officers/officials at Srinagar who are stationed at Jammu, and at Jammu, who are stationed at Srinagar. Employees shall vacate their government residential accommodation under occupation within 21 days from the date of issuance of this order,” reads the order of the J and K Estates Department.

Around 8000-9000 employees working in Civil Secretariats, with headquarters in Jammu and Srinagar, would move along with files twice every year. While Srinagar served as the summer capital, Jammu was the winter capital. The Dogra Maharaja Shri Gulab Singh is believed to have started the tradition of shifting the capital in 1872.

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