The Aam Aadmi Party government on Thursday successfully secured four months of employment for the terminated bus marshals, who will now work with the Delhi government in its battle against pollution. They will be assigned pollution mitigation related duties across the national capital starting November 1.


The bus marshals were terminated in October last year, and will now be re-employed after almost an year, joining the Delhi government as civil defence volunteers. Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj called the move a "major victory" for the bus marshals and their struggle, stating that these results were due to the support provided by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. A promise of permanent reinstatement is also in sight.


Following the announcement, some of the bus marshals met with Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, and AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar at Delhi Secretariat to express gratitude to the AAP government for its support.


They specially thanked Arvind Kejriwal for backing them in their period of struggle and credited his commitment which led to their reappointment, and efforts to secure permanent reinstatement for them. 


Sharing pictures from the meet-up with bus marshals delegation after the announcement, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi stated on X (formerly Twitter): "The son of people of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, has once again fulfilled his promise. The Delhi government is reinstating the Bus Marshals and Civil Defence Volunteers who were sacked by the BJP. In the coming 4 months, they will be deployed in pollution control related works. Congratulations to all the bus marshals."


"They have also been promised that even after 4 months, a way will be found to provide them permanent employment. Today Arvind Kejriwal showed that he finds peace only after getting the work of Delhiites done in some way or the other," she added.






Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj shared about the development in a press conference, saying, "Not just Delhi, but the entire nation has witnessed in the past few months how the sons and daughters of Delhi, working in various small jobs in different departments, have been treated. Some were working as civil defense volunteers, others as bus marshals in Delhi’s DTC buses."


'Arvind Kejriwal Ensured Their Jobs Were Restored': Saurabh Bharadwaj


The Delhi Cabinet Minister also spoke about the various jobs these civil defence volunteers had taken up and blamed the Centre for "throwing them out of their jobs under a political strategy".


"Some daughters were employed as nursing orderlies—sweeper-cum- security guards in Delhi hospitals, while some other brothers were working as data entry operators in government hospitals, preparing OPD cards. Many sisters were working in the Women’s Commission. But, under a malicious political strategy and at the behest of the BJP's central government, thousands of these sons and daughters were thrown out of their jobs," he said.


He further hit out at the BJP, asserting that the central government failed to consider how the families of these people would survive.


"Earning just Rs 18,000 to 20,000 a month, these people, who were the sole breadwinners for their families, were left to wonder where the next meal would come from, how they would pay their rent. Without any concern or understanding, the central government ruthlessly rendered these thousands of workers unemployed," Bharadwaj added.


The Delhi Minister lauded Kejriwal for standing with the people who had lost their jobs and affirmed on his behalf that he would ensure their jobs are restored.


"Now, these unemployed individuals have started coming together. The recent struggle of Delhi’s Bus Marshals on the streets was supported by our MLAs and ministers, who sat down with them in protest, challenging the central government. Arvind Kejriwal stood firmly with these poor sons and daughters and declared that whether it’s about the jobs of Bus Marshals, contractual workers in the DCW, or the data entry operators removed from hospitals, he would fight for them and ensure their jobs are restored," he said.


The Delhi Minister also alleged that the bus marshals were arrested, dragged on streets by police, and assaulted by the police. 


"In this struggle, the bus marshals faced repeated arrests, were dragged by the police on the streets, and even false cases were lodged against us, our MLAs, and the Bus Marshals by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta. The marshals were beaten, and female bus marshals were assaulted, but they did not give up. Today, their struggle and the relentless efforts of Arvind Kejriwal have borne fruit, and finally, the central government has been forced to back down," Bharadwaj claimed.


"This is the power of democracy, and in the face of this democratic strength, the central government had to yield. They have accepted that the Bus Marshals and Civil Defense Volunteers can be employed by the government for its work," he added.


Effort On To Reinstate Bus Marshals Permanently


The minister said that the Civil Defence volunteers will be employed again for government work just like how they were previously deployed to help implement the Odd-Even scheme and to undertake the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign across Delhi, contributing to the fight against pollution.


Minister Bharadwaj further added that these volunteers, who had been removed from their bus marshal jobs, will be reappointed for four months, and that efforts will be taken to reinstate them permanently.


He congratulated the bus marshals saying, "I would like to congratulate all the Bus Marshals, especially those who struggled for months, were dragged by the police along with us on the streets from Chaudhary Chandu Ram Akhara to police stations like Civil Lines and Burari."


"I particularly want to salute the brave Bus Marshal sisters who were kicked and abused by Vijender Gupta, who filed false cases against them after assaulting them. It is because of the courage and struggle of these women that today, thousands of Civil Defense Volunteers have hope once again for a better future," he concluded.