Out-of-job bus marshals to return as green warriors: Delhi CM Atishi

New Delhi: Blaming the BJP and officers controlled by it for hardships of out-of-job bus marshals, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Saturday approved a proposal to re-engage 10,000 civil defence volunteers (CDVs) as pollution sentinels.

While sending the file for approval to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, the Chief Minister hit out at the BJP for allegedly forcing the bus marshals out of work in October 2023 and compromising women’s security in public transport buses by abruptly ending the marshals’ engagement.

Talking to media persons, Atishi said, “I want to share the good news with 10,000 bus marshals that in the coming few days, a proposal for their long term engagement would be sent to the LG. But till the time their long-term engagement is not done, they would be deployed for four months in the fight against pollution till February.”

The CDVs would be posted at pollution monitoring centres, they would oversee the management of pollution hot-spots and look after cleaning, water sprinkling and traffic management, she said.

Waste disposal, curbing use of diesel generators and taking follow up action on complaints received on Green Delhi App will also be some of their responsibilities, Atishi said.

The Chief Minister said by mid-next week the CDVs will be able to register in district magistrate offices and they would be deployed in anti-pollution duties.

Atishi said the decision to re-engage CDVs is an example of the triumph of truth, people of Delhi and the AAP government under Arvind Kejriwal’s guidance against the regressive BJP and its attempts to create obstacles for the government.

“Arvind Kejriwal had vowed to fight for reinstatement of these 10,000 CDVs and AAP workers struggled along with them and, finally, the BJP had to bow before bus marshals’ demands and agree to their reinstatement,” she said.

Earlier last month, the LG had slammed the unnecessary politicisation of the matter by AAP leaders and wrote to CM Atishi to send a proposal for re-engagement of the CDVs.

“Unfortunately no concrete proposal has been sent to me by the government,” he wrote in the letter addressed to the Chief Minister.

Seeking immediate intervention from the CM on the matter, the LG said she should direct officials to draft a proposal to be sent to Raj Niwas for CDVs long-term engagement.

Earlier, this week the Delhi BJP protested outside the CM’s residence demanding the re-engagement of CDVs.

The Congress also launched an all-out attack on the AAP government for neglecting the issue of re-employment of nearly 10,000 out-of-job civil defence volunteers (CDVs).

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav said that the AAP government has been shedding crocodile tears for the sacked CDVs but not doing much to re-hire them for pollution control duties.

“It has become clear that Chief Minister Atishi failed to honour the direction of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena issued on October 24 to re-employ CDVs from November 1, 2024, for deployment in enforcing pollution control measures,” said Yadav.