Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during his address in the Delhi assembly, accused Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Thursday, 29 February of stalling city government initiatives, including the bus marshal scheme, by threatening officers.
Kejriwal addressed the removal of civil defence volunteers as bus marshals in the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses, stating the scheme was successful from 2015 to 2022.
On initiatives for women's safety, CM Kejriwal said, "We formed the government in 2015 with a promise to ensure women's safety. In five years, we installed CCTV cameras, streetlights were installed at dark spots, buses were equipped with CCTV cameras and panic buttons, and bus marshals were deployed. There are several instances of good work by bus marshals."
Further, giving examples for the work by the bus marshals, Kejriwal said, "From 2015 to 2022, bus marshals have done commendable work in preventing these crimes, with many examples, In November 2019, bus marshal Arun saved a 4-year-old girl from being kidnapped. In November 2019, Marshal Santosh apprehended a man in Rohini who was committing an inappropriate act with a girl and handed him over to the police."
The bus marshal scheme, which was successful for eight years, faced objections from officers in 2023 who claimed civil defence volunteers couldn't serve as marshals, mentioned Kejriwal.
"The Lt. Governor threatened officers to stall the bus marshal scheme. The L-G questioned the deployment of marshals, saying there were CCTV cameras and panic buttons," added Kejriwal.
He criticised the BJP for shedding "crocodile tears" over the issue and expressed readiness to sign any paper for the reinstatement of bus marshals.
The L-G's office had no immediate comment on the chief minister's claim, as reported by news agency PTI.
(With PTI Inputs)
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