Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday in the state assembly claimed that the Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena threatened to stall bus marshal scheme that ran from 2015 to 2022.
He further said that the LG also questioned deployment of bus marshals, saying there were CCTV cameras, panic buttons.
As per PTI, there was no immediate reaction from the LG's office to the chief minister's claim.
During his speech in the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal addressed the matter of removing civil defence volunteers who were serving as bus marshals in the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses. He stated that the scheme had been functioning effectively from 2015 to 2022.
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Kejriwal reportedly said, "We formed the government in 2015 with a promise to ensure women's safety. We installed CCTV cameras in five years, street lights were installed at dark spots and buses were equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons and bus marshals were deployed. There are several instances of good work by bus marshals."
According to him, the bus marshal program was successful for a period of eight years. However, in 2023, officers began expressing concerns, stating that civil defence volunteers were not suitable for the role of marshals.
"The Lt Governor threatened officers to stall the bus marshal scheme. The LG questioned the deployment of marshals saying there were CCTV cameras and panic buttons," Kejriwal charged.
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Additionally, he claimed that the BJP was showcasing "crocodile tears" for the matter and expressed his willingness to sign any document to bring back bus marshals.
Kejriwal also spoke about Saxena's open letter to him on the one-time settlement scheme for allegedly inflated water bills.
"The language of the LG's letter was filthy," he said, adding such language should not be used.
