New Darbar Order: A virtual divide on administrative lines

The decision to keep the secretariats functional both in Jammu & Srinagar on “as is where is” basis under the garb of COVID-19 pandemic spread is by all standards of understandabilities almost a vertical divide of the two regions at least on administrative lines. Once the vertical divide on administrative lines is implemented, the institutional divide by all standards of understandabilities would be obviously the only formality to complete the process of complete division of the present union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The decision to keep Kashmir based employees in Srinagar and Jammu based employees in Jammu throughout the year is yet another indication that the central government plans to announce yet another divide of the Jammu & Kashmir union territory. Decisions taken in haste amid rising COVID-19 pandemic spread is dropping indications that the incumbent central government apparently plans to grant statehood to Jammu and keep control over Kashmir valley by retaining it’s union territory status. The biannual shuttling of darbar move from Jammu to Srinagar and Srinagar to Jammu is not an exercise undertaken for only physical conveniences of the top public functionaries of the Jammu & Kashmir government but this exercise is the only connecting line for traders and business communities of the two regions. Once the two regions become two separate administrative entities, the traders and business communities of Kashmir won’t like to keep their windows open for their partners of Jammu region.
Though the announcement of shifting top move offices as part of the annual darbar move exercise is obviously an attempt to dispel the increasing public impression that the central government plans to do away with the biannual exercise of the shuttling of government offices from Jammu to Srinagar and Srinagar to Jammu respectively, but the decision to allow the Jammu based employees in Jammu and Kashmir based employees in Srinagar throughout the year is a virtual divide of the Jammu & Kashmir union territory on administrative lines.
While planning to go ahead with the proposal of complete divide of the present Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory, the central government will have to keep in mind the possibility of a revolt and resentment from people of at least four districts of Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal regions against the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory for the reasons of their stronger cultural and linguistic affinities with the people of Kashmir valley. By it’s actions the incumbent central government is dropping indications that it plans a vertical divide of the present Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory with statehood to Jammu region and Union Territory status to Kashmir valley. Though the announcement of shifting top move offices as part of the annual darbar move exercise is obviously an attempt to dispel the increasing public impression that the central government plans to do away with the biannual exercise of the shuttling of government offices from Jammu to Srinagar and Srinagar to Jammu respectively, but the decision to allow the Jammu based employees in Jammu and Kashmir based employees in Srinagar throughout the year is a virtual divide of the Jammu & Kashmir union territory on administrative lines.