Delhi govt to reinstate bus marshals to ensure safety of women, elders

The Delhi government passed a proposal on Monday to reinstate 10,000 bus marshals in a bid to ensure the safety of women and elders.

The proposal will be forwarded to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena urging to make the appointments permanent.

Addressing a joint press conference on Monday along with Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, Chief Minister Atishi said that due to the absence of bus marshals in buses, women and elderly people are feeling unsafe and so the proposal to re-instate bus marshals was made in the Cabinet meeting held on Monday.

"We are writing to the LG to make a policy to permanently employ bus marshals for the safety of women. Delhi government has decided that until a policy is made, 10,000 bus marshals should be reinstated on an 'as-is, where-is basis," CM Atishi said.

"Yesterday, an all ministers meeting was held. The policy of bus marshals is a matter of services and it is under LG. On behalf of the ministers of Delhi government, we are sending a proposal to LG that since it is under him, bus marshals should be appointed on a permanent basis. The joint opinion of the ministers was that it may take time to make a policy. But during this time, the safety of women cannot be compromised. Therefore, the Delhi government has decided to appoint 10,000 bus marshals with immediate effect. And they should work until the policy of their permanent appointment comes. It is expected that LG will approve this proposal," she said. 

She further highlighted that the Delhi government has done a lot for women's safety, from installing CCTV cameras to appointing bus marshals.

"Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government has continuously worked for the welfare of women. Women who live in Delhi are aware of the challenges of travelling on DTC buses. To prevent incidents of misbehaviour on these buses, marshals were deployed in Delhi's buses. This scheme started in 2015, with marshals present in two shifts to ensure women's safety. However, since 2023, the BJP has been trying to obstruct this scheme through its officials. Since April 2023, the salaries of these marshals have been withheld. Finally, in October 2023, all bus marshals were removed," she said.

The Delhi CM also mentioned that for the past year, bus marshals have been protesting on the streets, and AAP leaders have fully supported them.

"The Delhi government recently decided to deploy these marshals in pollution control activities for four months. However, the absence of marshals in buses makes women feel unsafe. After extensive discussions, it was revealed that the bus marshals scheme falls under a service matter, which is not within the jurisdiction of the Delhi government but rather under the authority of the LG (Lieutenant Governor)," CM Atishi said.

In October, the bus marshals held a protest to get reinstated after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena terminated their services in October last year.