NEW DELHI
In good news for all women bus travellers, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Sexana has given his clearance to enrol 10,000 personnel as Delhi’s home guards. Keeping women’s security in mind, L.G. has decided to appoint these new home guard personnel as bus marshals on all DTC and cluster buses, which will provide security to all the women who travel by bus. Civil defence volunteers who were terminated from their jobs on 31 October this year, would also be employed.
A source from the L-G. house, aware of the matter, said that the L.G. had directed officials that the selection process be completed by March 2024. L-G. has also issued directions to give preference in the form of extra credit to experienced CDVs during selection as they already have worked as bus marshals. He has also changed some of the norms in the recruitment process, like the age limit for enrolment in home guards will be brought down to 45 years from the existing 60 years, and the minimum qualification has been raised from Class 10 to Class 12.
According to L-G House officials, these newly recruited personnel will be on the rolls by March 2024. “Once enrolled, these home guards will get about Rs 25,000 a month,” said an official. “It has been decided to provide ten bonus points to former CDVs during the recruitment process. The hiring process will be videographed, and its pace will be increased by putting into place more teams and locations to complete the physical test process,” the official added.
The recruitment process will be conducted by 15 teams comprising a senior officer from the district administration, Delhi Police, and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), who will serve as the board to assess the physical efficiency of the candidates. An official said, “This would ensure that the selection and screening process is completed with speed. To ensure transparency, this entire process will be videographed through CCTV cameras installed at all the locations. Once candidates clear the physical efficiency test, they will become eligible for the computer-based entrance test (CBT).”
Abhishek Kumar, a 35-year-old bus marshal, said: “Thousands of CDV employees were terminated by Delhi governments on 31 October and are not eligible for enrolment, as they may not meet the criteria of the age limit or the educational qualification. They will also not get any other job in any other place as they get older, so the government should think about them. They also have a family to feed; without a job, how would they survive?”
Ramesh Singh, another CDV employee, said: “Although I am happy with the decision of the L-G. because I am eligible for the criteria, some of our colleagues are not, as they are over 45 years of age and don’t have the required qualifications. “I am happy with the decision, although there are thousands of CDVs who are now more than 45 years of age, and many of them have educational qualifications for matriculation. We do not agree with these changes, as they will leave many of us behind. All of the volunteers who were fired should be considered for getting their livelihood back,” he said.