Bus marshals protest at Jantar Mantar, demand reinstatement

New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Nearly two years after they were terminated, scores of bus marshals protested at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, demanding their reinstatement.

The services of around 10,000 civil defence volunteers deployed in public buses as marshals were terminated in 2023 over objections raised by the finance and revenue departments, saying they could only be engaged for duties related to natural disasters and their deployment as bus marshals was wrong.

The bus marshals claimed that the BJP had promised them permanent employment during the time of elections.

"The BJP promised that they would reinstate us within 60 days of coming to power. It has been over eight months but nothing has been done for us.

"We have tried to meet multiple leaders who had promised us employment but nothing is happening. We want a definitive answer whether we will be reinstated or not," Sachin Bharwal, a protesting bus marshal, said.

He said that nearly 10,000 bus marshals and their families voted for the BJP but they have not received anything in return.

"We thought that if AAP returns to power, there would be issues in finalising our reinstatement. We ensured that the BJP formed a government in Delhi. We were treated as a vote bank," he added.

Hemant Rawat, another protesting bus marshal, alleged that they are forced to do odd jobs and are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

"I stay on rent in Vinod Nagar. I am the sole breadwinner. It has become difficult to pay fees for my two school-going daughters. There are very few employment opportunities," he rued. PTI SLB SLB KSS KSS