NEW DELHI
The civil defence volunteers in Delhi are protesting frequently, as their salaries have been withheld since April this year. On the other hand, the future of these civil defence employees is in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s hands. The Delhi government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is planning to terminate 10,000 civil defence employees by the end of October 2023, said an officer of the Delhi government who is aware of the matter.
The Civil Defence volunteers, engaged in various departments, including transportation and revenue, have been protesting for the release of their salaries, which have been withheld since April this year. Previously, they protested at the Raj Niwas, the residences of the chief minister and revenue minister, and at the Delhi Secretariat. Currently, the government is planning to sack these 10,000 employees by the end of October 2023.
A source told The Sunday Guardian that initially, the proposal was to remove 189 volunteers from the revenue department, but later Chief Minister Kejriwal suggested terminating the services of all volunteers until the legal position on their employment is clarified. Kejriwal had also recommended that all future recruitment of Civil Defence volunteers be done through a “proper exercise and not in an ad hoc manner”, as is being done currently. The CM also directed that their salaries until October be paid immediately, sources added.
An official aware of the matter said that out of 10,792 Civil Defence volunteers, 8574 have been engaged by the transport department as bus marshals in DTC and cluster buses. Revenue, MCD, environment, food & supplies, trade & taxes, and election are other departments that utilise the services of these volunteers.
Abhishek Kumar, a bus marshal, said that although there is no proper communication regarding this matter from officials, “we’ve been hearing through the media that we are being sacked by the government. It is unfortunate for us, as we have families to feed. We are uncertain about going anywhere else and asking for a job, as many of us have reached an age nearing 35, and at such an age, asking for another job is difficult.” He added: “We have also done many protests regarding salaries, which was being withheld by the government, but nothing worked, as we were told that we would get salaries on a certain date, but that date did not come.”
Another bus marshal named Ranjan Sharma said, “I have been working as a bus marshal for eight years, but have never faced this kind of scenario. Since the past five months, we haven›t got the salaries; it is too difficult for us to survive. All the central government employees are getting bonuses on the festival, whereas we are not assured of jobs.»
Sunita, a lady bus marshal, said that: “We are not getting any sort of information from our seniors. There is no one to support me, as I am the only earning member of the family. We haven›t got salaries since July, and above all, if the government terminates us from the job, then where will we go?»
Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the civil defence employees’ job and salary crisis is the “result of the callous and arbitrary working of the Arvind Kejriwal government”. He said «The Arvind Kejriwal government did not follow administrative protocol while recruiting the civil defence volunteers, as a result of which their recruitment has come under scrutiny and dispute, first leading to their salary crisis and ultimately leading to their dismissal.» The Sunday Guardian tried to contact the Delhi transport minister and the revenue ministers regarding the issues, but they chose to remain silent.