Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta on Sunday accused the Delhi government of mishandling the reinstatement of marshals, stating that the government's indecisiveness and inactivity have raised questions about these marshals' livelihoods.
Earlier in the day, according to government sources, the ruling party restored bus marshals in a bid to bolster women’s safety in public transport. The source said that the move was decided unanimously in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday at the Delhi Secretariat.
The Delhi Ministers unanimously agreed that the deployment of marshals is crucial for ensuring women's safety in Delhi’s buses, he added. "The cabinet has recommended the immediate reinstatement of bus marshals," said government sources, noting that a report detailing this decision has been submitted to Chief Minister Atishi and will soon be sent to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) for approval.
Meanwhile, Gupta alleged that the government has shown a complete lack of sensitivity toward their employment issues. He claimed that the AAP government has played politics with this issue over the past year, wasting time in accusations and counter-accusations. According to Gupta, these marshals deserve permanent jobs, not just a temporary four-month position.
He noted that if the government had taken the process of regularizing the 10,000 marshals dismissed last October by then-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seriously, their jobs would have been secure by now. “Instead, the government showed no concern, even though the marshals were owed seven months of back pay when they were removed,†the Lop said.
“When the BJP introduced a proposal on this issue in the Assembly, hopes were raised for permanent employment for the 10,000 marshals. Despite orders from the Lieutenant Governor, the Delhi government deliberately delayed action,†he claimed, adding that the LG had to write to Chief Minister Atishi twice, warning her, which finally prompted the government to begin action.
“However, it was only for a four-month duty period and with a 15-day delay. Atishi announced yesterday that these marshals would be deployed on duty by Tuesday or Wednesday, which means that instead of starting on November 1, they will begin on November 15, resulting in a direct loss of half a month's salary,†he said.
