Amid the ongoing protest by civil defence volunteers serving as bus marshals, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has granted approval for the recruitment of over 10,000 new Home Guard personnel who will be designated as bus marshals in all Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster bus services.
LG Saxena has also mandated the provision of a preference, in the form of 10 extra marks, to experienced civil defence volunteers (CDVs) during the selection process, acknowledging their prior work as bus marshals in public transport.
Due to technicalities raised by the Revenue Department and the Finance Department regarding the appointment of CDVs as bus marshals, citing CDV rules that define them as volunteers for disasters and natural calamities, issues arose. According to these rules, CDVs are paid an honorarium and cannot be appointed on a salary basis. Consequently, the salaries of numerous CDVs have remained unpaid for several months.
Nevertheless, in the previous month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal instructed the Revenue Department to formulate a proposal for appointing Civil Defence Volunteers (CDVs) as Home Guards and assigning them roles as bus marshals. This proposal aligns with the suggestion made by LG Saxena.
As per officials from the LG, the enrollment of over 10,000 individuals in Delhi Home Guards is set to be finalised by March 2024. The recruitment process will follow an open, fair, and transparent selection method, with additional credits granted to CDVs.
An official stated, “Upon enrollment, these Home Guard volunteers will receive approximately Rs 25,000 per month.”
