Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday announced that the deployment of 10,000 civil defence volunteers removed as bus marshals last year will begin in the next two to four days to assist various agencies fighting air pollution.

At a press conference, the senior AAP leader also said that a detailed proposal for their permanent engagement will also be sent for approval of the Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena within a week. “Within a week, the Delhi government will send a proposal to the LG to regularise bus marshals. BJP should ensure its approval,” she said.

This comes a day after Saxena wrote to Atishi, saying despite his order to immediately reappoint the civil defence volunteers (CDV), he was yet to receive a proposal in this regard. "Of course, you and your party leaders may continue to do politics of taking credit for their reinstatement, but any more delay in the welfare of these economically weaker and helpless people is not right in any way," the letter read.

Around 10,000 CDVs working as marshals in public buses in Delhi were removed from their posts in November last year after objections were raised by the revenue and finance departments. At the press meet, the chief minister said that in a meeting last week, the CDVs were already assigned for implementation of various anti-pollution measures undertaken by different agencies. "Their call out will begin in the next 2-4 days," she said. Atishi slammed the BJP, saying it should stop its "dirty politics" over the issue. She claimed the saffron party would make efforts to block the AAP government's proposal to the LG for the permanent engagement of CDVs.