Removed from service last year, civil defence volunteers to be deployed for pollution control

New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) The Delhi government will deploy 10,000 civil defence volunteers, who were terminated from service last year while working as bus marshals, to aid in implementing measures related to mitigation of pollution, Chief Minister Atishi said on Monday.

Following a meeting of officials, it was decided to reintroduce the bus marshals and volunteers to assist in pollution mitigation efforts, Atishi said in a press conference.

The civil defence volunteers will be deployed in collaboration with various agencies, including the Transport Department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the chief minister said.

Volunteers will focus on ensuring compliance with pollution control measures and will play a crucial role in monitoring vehicle emissions, preventing end-of-life vehicles from entering the city, and supporting public transport management to reduce reliance on private vehicles, Atishi said.

“The bus marshals will be deployed across 13 pollution hotspots and other high pollution areas,” she said.

“They will also assist with inspections at 1,000 PUC (Pollution Under Control) centres to prevent any irregularities,” the chief minister added.

The 10,000 civil defence volunteers working as bus marshals were removed in November last year. In a recent Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting it was decided to deploy them for various anti-pollution measures for four months.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that the bus marshals were removed due to a “conspiracy” by the BJP.

The BJP, however, said the reappointment happened due to the party’s request and Atishi was just “taking credit without contributing anything”.

In a statement, the BJP said the lives of civil defence volunteers was jeopardised due to the “anarchic working style” of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal whose government had appointed them without following “administrative procedures” and “provisions for permanent employment”.

“It is unfortunate that despite the honourable lieutenant governor (LG) reappointing these volunteers upon the BJP’s and their own request, the chief minister is making a disgraceful attempt to take credit without contributing anything,” the statement said.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai expressed optimism about the reappointment, saying that the reintroduction of bus marshals could yield positive results in reducing pollution levels.

“In the past, initiatives like the odd-even scheme and the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign showed promising results. We are hopeful that by bringing back these marshals, we can replicate that success,” Rai stated.

As the festival season approaches, with increased traffic and pollution concerns looming, the Delhi government is taking measures to safeguard the health and well-being of its citizens.

Registration for the volunteers will begin in the next week, with deployment expected to occur within four months.