Srinagar, Nov. 1 -- The decision by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to revive the Darbar Move, a colonial-era practice of shifting the Civil Secretariat between Srinagar and Jammu, has reopened an old debate about the region's governance priorities.

First introduced in 1872 by Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the move was intended to balance administrative presence between the two capitals and adapt to seasonal extremes: Jammu's heat and Srinagar's cold.

Over the years, it became a political ritual wrapped in symbolism, until it was suspended in 2021 by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for being economically wasteful and administratively unnecessary.

Four years later, its reinstatement feels like a step backward. The question is ...