Durbar Move: Jammu city begins to shine again!
Jammu, October 12: The city of temples has slowly begun to wear a festive look with roads being macadamized, dividers and walls being repainted and parks being spurned up.
Well! If you think it is being done for the upcoming Navratra celebrations then you are wrong as this whole exercise is not for the nine day festival but for the modern day monarchs who are coming to winter capital for the next six months.
One wonders whether we are living in a real democracy or some colonial era where everything was being done to appease the monarchs and super-lords while the common gentry takes pride in just being the loyal subjects.
Like the old colonial era the modern-day citizens of one region of Jammu and Kashmir also heave a sigh of relief on hearing the news of Durbar Move while existing hosts rue the shifting not because of any love for the modern monarchs but due to fact that for next six months they get orphaned.
In Jammu and Kashmir politicians have a field day in befooling the citizens by whipping up the sentiments according to their own whims and fancies and the political requirements as at one hand they would love to erase everything that has any trace of Dogra era in it and on the other hand they spill blood to protect the same traces which benefit them.
Similar is the case with the Durbar Move, PRC issue and Article 370 in the state as these Dogra era laws must be protected at any cost but other laws like ban on Beef have to be fought tooth and nail to remove the ‘Dogra era exploitation’ in the state.
The irony is that politics rules the roost in Jammu and Kashmir and the crux is to extract maximum benefit for the political class while the common citizens may go to dogs.
Had it not been so, the state would not have been spending several crores every six months to shift the secretariat from one region to another losing the time, money and sometimes records in the process.
However what we want to discuss here is the colonial mindset that still exists in J&K as the city has to be refurbished only for the modern day monarchs and not for the citizens which is why Srinagar or Jammu cities get a new look once the Durbar shifts to a particular region while for the next six months the people bear the brunt of orphanage like situation.
Jammu has been crying hoarse for the past more than six months that roads are in bad condition, governance is nowhere but nobody was bothered and once the Durbar Move was declared the roads were suddenly macadamized, dividers repaired and walls painted to give the city a festive look to appease the ruling class who might find it difficult to have a bump or two in their luxury vehicles while rolling on the potholed city roads.
It gives the idea of the colonial mindset of the political class which refuses to shun the VIP culture to enjoy the life to full till they last in the governance.
It is time the common man understands the politics behind the beef parties, and sentimental exploitation on regional and communal cards to demand development for the real king makers instead of only for the elected kings of the state.
In any case Jammu city will see some development for the next six months while Srinagar will get orphaned till April next year.
With Durbar Move the hopes of the common man are also moved and shifted from one region to other every six months.