Jammu, Sep 26 (PTI) Describing the stopping of "darbar move" as an “unfortunate decision”, Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday said his party would restore the age-old practice if it comes to power in Jammu and Kashmir. The administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha discontinued the "darbar move", a 149-year-old practice of rotating the seat of governance between the twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu on six-monthly basis, to save Rs 200 crore each year. The decision to do away with the practice was taken after the administration completed the transition to e-office, which allowed the Civil Secretariat -- the seat of J&K government -- and other "move" offices to function normally in both Jammu and Srinagar. “It would be our first decision on forming the government to restore the practice of darbar move,” Bukhari said on the sidelines of a party function here. In an apparent reference to the traders" strike in Jammu on September 22 that among other things demanded continuation of the darbar move, the Apni Party leader said, “Stopping of darbar move practice is one of the biggest issues being faced by Jammu." “It was an unfortunate decision and I want to assure the people of Jammu that we stand with them and their demand for resumption of darbar move practice,” he said, adding the practice has an emotional connection with the people of Jammu as well as Kashmir regions that has been continuing for centuries. “I am not able to understand why the darbar move practice was stopped. The practice was an emotional connection between the people of two regions... It was our tradition but unfortunately the administration does not know the importance of the darbar move,” he said and criticised the administration for their “one-sided decisions which has affected Jammu”. Meanwhile, he congratulated the J&K youth who have cracked the prestigious civil services exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). “We are proud of our young generation for their remarkable achievement. With their selection, they have shown that they can compete at any level. This is our youth power. They are not less intelligent than others,” he added. PTI TAS HDA