Jammu, Nov. 4 -- Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed the hope that the revival of the Darbar Move would boost the sagging economy of the erstwhile state and bridge the bond between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar walked the 2-km distance from his official residence on Wazarat Road to the civil secretariat in the morning, interacting with traders on Residency Road, Raghunath Bazaar and Shalimar Road en route. Talking to mediapersons, he said, "You must have seen the rousing reception. Today, a distance that doesn't take five minutes to cover, took nearly an hour. It was the love and affection of the people." He said: "Jammu suffered the biggest setback when the Darbar Move practice was discontinued (four years ago). However, the National Conference promised to restore it. It was our responsibility and today we have done it. We hope that with the resumption of the Darbar Move, the economy of not only Jammu but the entire J&K will get a boost." The tradition involves shifting the J&K government's offices from Srinagar to Jammu in winter and vice-versa in summer. The civil secretariat and other offices closed in Srinagar on October 30 and 31, and started functioning from Jammu, the winter capital, on Monday for six months. Abdullah said some people always try to create a wedge between Jammu and Srinagar and rake up "Jammu versus Kashmir" for political advantage. "We want to address that wedge and remove the distance," he said. The yearly move was started by Dogra rulers nearly 150 years ago. Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha halted it in June 2021, citing the administration's complete transition to e-office, which, he said, would save around Rs.200 crore annually. The decision drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including Jammu's business community, which termed the move a blow to trade and the traditional bond between the two regions. They had been pressing for the revival of the practice ever since. On October 16, Omar fulfilled his election promise by reviving the Darbar Move, bringing relief to the business community in Jammu. The chief minister, however, said that everything shouldn't be seen through the prism of money. "The decision (of scrapping the Darbar Move) was based on this premises (of economics) but certain things are above money, for instance, sentiments and unity. To bind J&K , the Darbar Move was the biggest driving force," he said. Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary, who accompanied the CM, slammed the BJP for calling the National Conference "anti-Jammu"....