Atishi writes to LG, demands that proposal on bus marshals be passed

Atishi in a letter to Saxena, said that bus marshals play an important role in making Delhi’s public transport safer for women.

Delhi chief minister Atishi on Sunday wrote to lieutenant governor VK Saxena, seeking the immediate approval of a proposal sent by the government to reinstate over 10,000 bus marshals in the Capital, and expressed concern over the “delay” in approving the plan — threatening to open up another front in a row between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue.

LG VK Saxena and chief minister Atishi. (PTI)

The LG’s office, however, did not comment on the matter.

The removal of approximately 10,000 civil defence volunteers (CDVs) as bus marshals on public buses in the Capital in November 2023, and their re-appointment has been at the centre of showdown between the AAP and the BJP, with both parties blaming the other for the dismissal of the volunteers, and both seeking credit for their re-instatement.

On Sunday, Atishi in a two-page letter to Saxena in Hindi, said that bus marshals play an important role in making Delhi’s public transport safer for women.

“Before the marshals were deployed, every day was a struggle for women travelling by buses. Many feared for their safety, and many women were harassed or molested. The presence of over 10,000 marshals in buses changed that,” she wrote.

Atishi further claimed that the marshals were abruptly removed from their posts, and their salaries were stopped, as part of a “conspiracy”, and accused certain officers of the Delhi government of “acting at the behest of the Centre” to undermine the safety measures.

The chief minister further claimed that the AAP government on November 13 this year had unanimously passed a proposal to reappoint the marshals, and the file was submitted to the LG’s office the same day.

“More than two weeks have passed, and yet no decision has been made. I fail to understand the reason for this delay. I request you to approve this proposal at the earliest so that light can return to the lives of these 10,000 families and women can feel safe again in buses,” she wrote.