Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed State Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot to continue using current bus marshals so as to ensure that the safety of women is not compromised.
Kejriwal directed Gahlot to continue using current marshals till the engagement and deployment of bus marshals as home guards. The Delhi CM also asked him to expedite the process of payments to bus marshals ahead of Diwali this month.
Kejriwal also directed Gahlot to initiate disciplinary action against Principal Secretary-cum-Commissioner of the Transport Department Ashish Kundra and Principal Secretary of Finance Ashish Verma for allegedly causing the delay in payment to bus marshals.
Earlier, Gahlot said that he would issue directions on deploying bus marshals as home guards so that they do not lose their jobs and passengers are not inconvenienced. He announced on Saturday that Kejriwal had asked him to issue directions.
What is the case?
In a letter to Kailash Gahlot, who also controls the Home Department in the Delhi government, Arvind Kejriwal said, "Legal objection has been raised about the continuation of civil defence volunteers as bus marshals. It has been said that civil defence volunteers cannot be engaged in regular duties and that they can be called only during a disaster. Therefore, it has been suggested that home guards be appointed as bus marshals instead of civil defence volunteers."
"Since the existing civil defence volunteers, who are working as bus marshals, have experience working as bus marshals, we should develop a plan to appoint them only as home guards and continue them as bus marshals unless there is any specific complaint against any individual," he also said.
"The bus marshals are trained manpower. Deploying them as home guards will ensure that they remain employed and passengers also feel comfortable while travelling in buses. I will issue necessary directions to Secretary (Home)," Gahlot said on Saturday.
The Delhi Transport Minister said that he has directed several times previously to release the dues of civil defence volunteers, who also have been deployed as bus marshals, and alleged that attempts have been made to halt the work done by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
"The AAP government and Chief Minister Kejriwal are with the civil defence volunteers. Our attempts are to ensure that bus marshals get deployed as home guards," he added.
Bus marshals are civil defence volunteers and home guards deputed in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and recruited by the Department of Revenue and the Directorate General of Home Guards, respectively.
(with inputs from agencies)
