AAP, Delhi LG Saxena fight for credit over reinstatement of civil defence volunteers

As per AAP, as promised by ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government reinstated CDVs for four months to help mitigate air pollution. On the other hand, Saxena said as Delhi Disaster Management Authority chairman, he directed the deployment of CDVs removed by Kejriwal.

The BJP also waded in, saying Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva arranged the first formal meeting of a delegation of volunteers with the L-G and got assurance of a solution before Diwali.

In a post on X, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote, “The struggle of bus marshals has borne fruit, Arvind Kejriwal ji had said he would get employment back to everyone. Now, they will be given employment to fight against pollution for four months. Until they are reinstated as bus marshals, we will not let the BJP government at the Centre rest.”

Saxena, meanwhile, shared a copy of a letter he wrote to CM Atishi on X and said: “Having mulled over the vexed problem of livelihood of thousands of CDVs engaged as bus marshals whose services were terminated a year back at the behest of then CM Kejriwal, found an opportunity today to give them immediate relief by way of engaging them as volunteers to mitigate disaster of air pollution for the next 4 months…”

Atishi wrote back to L-G, saying, “I’m happy the BJP had to bow down in front of the marshals… Kejriwal provided jobs to boys and girls from poor families… You fired 10,000 marshals at BJP’s behest… but AAP stood with these marshals in their fight.”

The L-G also said he asked the CM to come up with a concrete scheme for permanent engagement of these “hapless CDVs”, as per law, in the next four months. “I hope this small gesture will help brighten the Diwali of our fellow CDVs who have been hanging on a thread for the last year,” he said.

The L-G further claimed despite his recommendations to prepare a scheme and reinstate CDVs following rules, the AAP government did not do so. So he had to “step in” and direct the Divisional Commissioner to call on services of CDVs — specifically those engaged as of October 31, 2023 — for four months starting November 1 till February-end.

The matter was also raised by both AAP and BJP MLAs in the recently held two-day Assembly session demanding “regularisation” of these volunteers. A group of AAP and BJP MLAs also met the L-G regarding this.

The L-G said that in that meeting, CM Atishi had assured that a committee would be set up to draw a concrete roadmap to address the issue comprehensively but he has not been informed of any follow-up action taken so far.

Further, he asked the government to take a call regarding the deployment of CDVs at PUC centres, hotspots, and urban local bodies under the supervision of district magistrates for air pollution mitigation. “This measure shall serve the twin objective of providing relief to these families… and mitigating the impact of the disaster of air pollution in Delhi,” he said.

Hitting out at the AAP, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva claimed Kejriwal’s “directionless” politics has left several youths “unemployed”. “As soon as the BJP comes to power in 2025, it is committed to regularising the contracts of all civil defence volunteers as well as contract workers,” he said.