For Women's Safety, Delhi To Continue With Bus Marshals Till Deployment Of Home Guards: CM Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has directed that civil defence volunteers continue to serve as bus marshals and that proceedings against transport secretaries be initiated.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday issued directives to extend the service of civil defence volunteers as bus marshals, while simultaneously initiating proceedings against the secretaries of the transport and finance departments for delaying their salaries. This decision aims to safeguard the interests of women passengers on public transport in the city, news agency PTI reported. 

According to the report, officials disclosed that the Lieutenant Governor has instructed the Vigilance Directorate to assess the proposal for action against the officers involved before it is presented to the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) for a final decision. The course of action will be determined based on the findings of the Vigilance examination.

In a communication addressed to Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, Chief Minister Kejriwal also urged the release of pending payments to bus marshals before the Diwali festival, the report said. 

Kejriwal emphasised the urgent deployment of home guards as bus marshals across Delhi, but until this deployment process is completed, civil defence volunteers serving as bus marshals will continue to ensure the safety of women passengers.

Furthermore, Kejriwal instructed Gahlot to initiate suspension and disciplinary actions against Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary and Transport Commissioner, and Ashish Verma, Principal Secretary of Finance, for allegedly causing delays in salary payments to bus marshals, PTI reported. 

Currently, bus marshals are staging an indefinite sit-in at the Delhi Secretariat, demanding the settlement of their unpaid wages.

In a recent circular, the Directorate of Civil Defence clarified that civil defence volunteers should only be summoned for duties related to "disaster management and hostile attack". Earlier, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, V K Saxena, had approved a proposal from the Chief Minister to discontinue the services of civil defence volunteers as bus marshals. This decision was based on the understanding that civil defence volunteers should not be deployed for regular bus marshal duties.

The LG had also suggested that the civil defence volunteers who lose their jobs could be considered for appointments to over 10,000 positions as home guards, as approved by him. The Chief Minister's directive proposed appointing civil defence volunteers as home guards and deploying them as bus marshals.

According to the PTI report, sources noted that the LG, in the interest of the bus marshals' livelihoods, had always urged the relevant authorities to act in accordance with existing legal provisions. The engagement of civil defence volunteers as bus marshals was officially terminated through an order issued on October 31, following the statutory guidelines.