NEW DELHI: To improve women’s safety, the Delhi government has announced reinstatement of bus marshals across the city’s public transport system. The decision was made in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday.
The Delhi ministers unanimously agreed that the deployment of marshals is crucial for ensuring women’s safety in the city’s buses. “The cabinet has recommended 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 (L-G) for approval.
Delhi government first introduced bus marshals in 2017-18 to safeguard passengers, particularly women, during commute. Deployment of around 10,000 bus marshals was approved.
The marshals, appointed as Civil Defense Volunteers (CDV), served without obstacles from 2015 to 2022, supported by the transport, revenue and finance departments for recruitment and salary payments. In early 2023, administrative hurdles emerged despite consistent staffing in the departments.
Despite repeated directions from the then CM Arvind Kejriwal, bus marshals’ salaries were withheld in April 2023. On November 1, 2023, orders were issued to terminate all bus marshals. Minister Atishi wrote a letter on November 15, 2023, stressing the importance of bus marshals for women’s safety.
In a letter dated October 23, 2023, Kejriwal requested the L-G to take action against officials responsible for withholding bus marshals’ salaries, citing his authority on such matters. It fell on deaf ears.
Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot wrote a detailed note on October 20, 2023, explaining that certain officials have withheld bus marshals’ salaries for months. These officials argued that CCTV and panic buttons in buses had made marshals redundant, while the Delhi government maintained that marshals were essential for women’s safety.
In response to a follow-up letter from Kejriwal, the L-G stated on December 5, 2023, that CDVs could not be used outside of disaster management, rejecting the proposal.
On September 26, 2024, Delhi Assembly passed a resolution recommending the reinstatement of all bus marshals and CDVs. The council of ministers endorsed this resolution on October 5, 2024, and forwarded it to the L-G for final decision.