The Obstinate Problem

India is often referred to as the nation of contrasting nature, assimilating various hues and shades that seem to defy the very presence of the other. Our vibrant democracy has also in certain cases led to situations that may surprise the novice observer. For example while four states in India share two capitals each (Haryana - Punjab = Chandigarh & Telangana - Andhra Pradesh = Hyderabad) we also have a state that has two capitals, Jammu and Kashmir having Jammu and Srinagar as its winter and summer capitals respectively.

While Chandigarh & Hyderabad are examples where the states involved have shown inability to create/maintain capitals of their own (although Andhra Pradesh is working on its separate capital), Jammu and Kashmir boasts of two functional capitals for a single state. While many feel that maintaining two capitals leads to wastage of precious public funds and time, an equally compelling argument in its favor is that it maintains regional stability.

The genesis of two capital system of Jammu & Kashmir was laid when the erstwhile princely state of Kashmir passed onto the hands of Dogra rulers who were primarily from the Jammu region of the state. The Dogras obviously choose Jammu as their capital city but at the same time Kashmir being the more populated province and having better climate, the Dogra rulers liked to spend their summers in Kashmir. Thus began the practice of moving the “Durbar” to Srinagar in summers and to Jammu in winters.

While the practice went largely unquestioned during the pre-independence era, the post independent leaders didn’t feel the need to correct it and rather continued with the extravagant practice at the expense of public exchequer. The argument given to support the practice was that if the capital is shifted permanently to either of the cities, then the people of the other province might feel discriminated. One wonders if a state whose people feel vulnerable by the shifting of a capital are really ‘one people’, which is the basis for the formation of a state.

Due this unwillingness of the politicians and leaders to confront the problem and solve it for once, the state secretariat is shifted, documents packed and transported to and fro, employee shifted twice a year and all this cost is borne out of taxpayers money who is still unable to get basic services as the state is reeling under massive financial debt with liabilities running to the tune of about Rs. 7,000 Crore and ravaged by a massive flood that has destroyed almost everything that had come in its way and had caused damages ranging from Rs. 16,000 Crores to Rs. 1,00,000 Crores. The financial situation of the state is so bad that various political dispensations by their own admission have stated that the state does not have enough resources to pay its own employees and thus has to look up to the central funds from Government of India for their paychecks. Add the high rate of unemployment to that and you have a pretty gloomy picture enough to haunt any establishment.  So much for an ego clash!

Wouldn’t it be better if the capital shifted at once, and if it is not possible why not divide the duties and let only the Ministers and a very few senior bureaucrats have their bi-annual ‘Durbar move’. Let all the documents be digitized and services provided on an e-governance model. And these ministers and senior officers may avail video conferencing methods to interact people from other provinces and districts. Proper implementation of this system can lead to every district of this state have the care that our government promises to provide to Jammu and Srinagar by their Durbar move gimmick.