When the Durbar Moves
In a few weeks from now, at the end of October, the first chills of winter will grip Srinagar and then the annual Durbar Move will take place. The entire ministry, the Civil Secretariat, Raj Bhavan and other top government offices will move to warmer Jammu, leaving Srinagaris to the mercy of lower bureaucrats.
Srinagar, it’s worth remembering, is only the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir, and Jammu is the winter capital. The government functions from Srinagar from May till the end of October and from Jammu from thence to the summer. Once the Durbar and durbaris move to Jammu, people here have to confront all sorts of problems, especially power shortages through the winter.
The Durbar Move is a practice dating back to 1872 when Maharaja Gulab Singh brought it into force. It has survived despite calls to abandon it. A huge amount of money is spent on transferring official records from the winter to the summer capital and vice versa. Before every Durbar Move, Jammu and Srinagar each get a facelift at some cost.
The expense would be saved if the capital stayed put at one place. But then where? Jammu has always been hostile to any talk of Srinagar being made the permanent capital. And Srinagar would be loath to giving up the privilege herself.
Srinagar’s loss, Leh’s gain?
The talk of Srinagar in recent weeks has been the sudden transfer of IPS officer Sargun Shukla from her post as SP of traffic in Srinagar to SP of Leh, Ladakh. Her post has been taken by Tahir Saleem Khan.
In barely nine months, the young woman IPS officer from Punjab -- 2012 vintage – had done well in a rather tough assignment. Of course some of Ms Shukla’s decisions were criticized, such as her ban on cabs plying from Pantha Chowk to Lal Chowk, the city centre, from 9 am to 11 pm.
The cab ban inconvenienced commuters and students because they have to take longer routes to reach Lal Chowk. It used to be a 15-minute cab ride from Pantha Chowk to Lal Chowk. It takes more than an hour now.
But for this “illogical” move, the young officer’s management of Srinagar’s traffic went down well with the people of Srinagar.
It was a surprise then that Shukla was transferred from the post last week as part of a major reshuffle in the Police Department. Is it a punishment posting?
You’ve seen the video, now see the Valley
Most of the hotels and house boats in Srinagar are near empty as an outcome of the five-month-long unrest last year following the killing of Burhan Wani in July 2016. To attract tourists back to Srinagar, the J&K Tourism Department decided they had to address the negative narrative. So they commissioned a short film to reposition Kashmir in the minds of tourists.
The film titled, The Warmest Place on Earth, draws upon some familiar tropes: Kashmiri hospitality, exquisite landscapes, warm-hearted people, shikara rides, Mughal Gardens, etc. It was uncertain what the response would be, given all the negative news that has been emanating from the Valley in recent months.
But the five-minute hospitality video has been a hit on social media. It has drawn over 3.4 million views on the official Facebook page of the J&K Tourism Department. According to Mehmood Ahmad Shah, the director of tourism, the video has succeeded in generating a buzz and it remains to be seen whether it will lead to an uptick in tourist arrivals in Srinagar.
Tailpiece: No LPG filling station?
LPG vehicles came to Srinagar in 2008 and people switched to LPG kits. However, there’s not a single LPG filling station in Srinagar, or for that matter anywhere in Kashmir. So motorists use domestic gas cylinders in their vehicles. Now why wouldn’t an LPG filling station be set up in Srinagar? Is it that catch-all reason? Security?