Lieutenant Governor Criticizes Term 'Bus Marshal' as Misleading, Challenges AAP Governance
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New Delhi, Dec 10 (NationPress) Referring to the designation 'bus marshal' as a misnomer, Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena has admonished the AAP administration led by Chief Minister Atishi, insisting that as the constitutional leader of the government, he should not be tasked with creating a policy to engage civil defence volunteers (CDVs) as bus marshals, as per sources familiar with the official correspondence.
Characterizing the Arvind Kejriwal government’s initiative to utilize CDVs as bus marshals aimed at ensuring the safety of women bus passengers as poorly conceived and unconstitutional, the L-G highlighted that the AAP administration assigned CDVs as bus marshals for non-existent positions, lacking the approval of the Council of Ministers.
Saxena’s strong remarks come amid claims from the Delhi government, ahead of Assembly elections, that he has been responsible for delaying the reassignment of 10,000 bus marshals.
Expressing disbelief at the confusion within the Delhi government, the L-G’s official communication stated, “It is an unacceptable proposition to suggest that a scheme for engaging bus marshals should be formulated by the constitutional head of government. By that absurd logic, I should also start exercising the powers of the Council of Ministers on a whole range of transferred subjects.”
The L-G pointed out that the best way to ensure the safety of women on DTC buses would be through the deployment of Home Guards and Delhi Police to guarantee effective utilization.
He also mentioned that the process for deploying Home Guards for this purpose had already commenced last December.
“It is important to note that on my directions, the Home Department has given priority to Civil Defence Volunteers in the recruitment of home guard volunteers. As a result, in the recent recruitment of 1,669 volunteers, 263 CDVs were selected,” the L-G stated.
He remarked that at the inception of the AAP government’s bus marshal initiative, a misleading impression was created by the government, leading thousands of young individuals or CDVs to believe they were securing government employment.
“I feel disappointed that even though the Chief Minister is fully aware of the facts, she has opted to send this frivolous reference regarding the matter,” the L-G expressed.
Criticizing the Delhi government for deceiving CDVs, he stated, “The convoluted exercise undertaken by the Government in recent years has misled thousands of young men and women into believing they were entering into government jobs. It is unfathomable that an elected government that has been in power for a decade acted this way, despite understanding the processes necessary for job creation, recruitment fundamentals, and Constitutional provisions for reservation of SC/ST/OBC and EWS.”
Clarifying the distribution of powers between Raj Niwas and the elected government, Saxena wrote, “According to the current governance structure of NCT of Delhi, the L-G may have discretion over matters related to the creation and abolition of posts, transfers, and disciplinary proceedings, but the evaluation of personnel requirements, assigned duties, cadre structure, promotional pathways, financial implications, powers, functions, and disciplinary control must be planned and proposed by the User Department in collaboration with the Services Department, Administrative Reforms Department, Planning Department, Law Department, and Finance Department. Thus, this matter is a policy issue and strictly lies within the government’s domain, as transport is a transferred subject.”
Showing empathy towards the out-of-work bus marshals, the L-G mentioned, “I have already approved the engagement of CDVs, particularly those deployed on October 31, 2023, to participate specifically in air pollution mitigation activities, until February 28, 2025, on humanitarian grounds.”
Once again urging CM Atishi and her Cabinet to take decisive action regarding the bus marshals, he stated, “It is recommended that the Government, for once, make a serious effort in governance, and that the Chief Minister instructs the Minister-in-charge of Transport and ACS (Transport) to devise a comprehensive law-supported scheme with the necessary budgetary backing promptly, and then submit the matter for my consideration.”
