Three Delhi bus marshals die within a month amid salary crisis

For five agonising months, nearly 4,000 bus marshals in Delhi have been grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis as the government fails to release their salaries. The families of the deceased attribute the deaths to the financial crisis caused by the loss of pay.

Tasked with ensuring the safety of women commuters across the capital’s vast public transport network, these marshals, employed by the Delhi Home Guard Department, have been left without pay, pushing many to the brink of desperation.

Sunil Sharma, a bus marshal, tearfully says, “For the past five months, we have not received our salary despite working around the clock for women’s safety in the national capital.”

Bus marshals fall under the Delhi Home Guard Department, which is responsible for disbursing their salaries.

Currently, nearly 4,000 bus marshals are deployed across Delhi’s 1,970 electric buses and 5,713 CNG buses, for a total of over 7,600 vehicles.

Without salaries for over five months, many bus marshals rely on loans or help from friends and family to meet basic needs such as food, electricity, and water.

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Speaking to Patriot, Sunil Sharma (47) said, “I am under tremendous stress. I am the sole breadwinner for my family, and for five months, the department has failed to release our salaries.”

When asked about the cause of the delay, Sharma said that bus marshals have repeatedly asked the department about the issue, but they keep giving the same response: they are short of funds, or funds have not been released by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena.

“When we wrote to the L-G, his office said they would look into the matter and resolve it as soon as possible. But five months have passed since our last salary payment, and we still haven’t received any concrete response from either the government or the L-G,” Sharma said.

“We are running from pillar to post to receive the money we earned through our hard work, ensuring women’s safety and safeguarding commuters on public transport,” he added.

Dev Kumar (45), a bus marshal stationed at Gazipur Nagar Depot, said, “Before joining the Home Guard, I worked in a field job where I earned enough to support my family. I joined the Home Guard department for the stability of a government job and the respect that comes with wearing the uniform. But I didn’t anticipate that this uniform would cost me my family’s happiness.”

“For the past five months, my salary has not been credited, which has drastically affected my family’s situation. I can’t even afford medicines. My family keeps urging me to quit this job and find something else, but with my limited qualifications, who will hire me?” Kumar asked.

“We work 28 days a month with only two days of rest, and our pay is deducted if we take those rest days. The government provides no proper rest. Now, I don’t even have money to commute to work. We haven’t celebrated any festivals, including Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan. We’ve even written to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), but have yet to receive a reply,” Kumar lamented.

Raj Kumar (55), stationed at the Sarojini Nagar Depot and the sole provider for his family, shared that five to six of their colleagues have passed away from heart attacks brought on by stress over the salary issue.

“The government hasn’t helped any of their families financially. Recently, we lost three of our colleagues—Suresh Goswami, Om Prakash Kataria, and Ashok Kumar—to heart attacks. They were under severe stress due to the non-payment of salaries,” Raj Kumar said.

Sunil Kumar (47), another bus marshal at the Sarojini Nagar Depot, expressed sorrow over the deaths of his colleagues. He criticised the government’s indifference toward its employees, who work tirelessly for the safety of women in the capital.

“We demand that if the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the Transport Department can’t pay us, they should deploy us to other locations where security is needed, such as hospitals,” Sunil said.

“Recently, incidents of violence against doctors in the city have increased, leading to protests in Delhi. Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj announced that two armed security guards would be stationed at the entrance and exit of every hospital emergency room in Delhi. The Home Guard personnel would be perfect for this role since they are highly trained professionals,” Sunil added.

Dharmendra Singh Rawat, Commandant at Headquarters in Raja Garden, who manages Home Guard postings, explained that the delay in salary payments is due to a shortage of funds.

“We are trying to resolve this by coordinating with the Delhi government. We assure bus marshals that their salaries will be released soon, and we are committed to the welfare of the Home Guards,” Rawat stated.

Officials at the Raj Niwas House claimed that the salary of the Home Guards doesn’t require approval from the L-G and is solely the department’s responsibility.

The Delhi Government did not comment on the issue.

Three tragic deaths

Three bus marshals stationed across the national capital have died from cardiac arrests due to the stress of not receiving their salaries for five months. Neither the Delhi Government nor the Transport Department has provided compensation or assistance to the families of the deceased.

“No one from the department even called to check on the family after my husband’s death,” said the wife of a bus marshal, who died of a heart attack on August 16. She requested anonymity while expressing her anger.

“For the past five months, my husband was under immense mental pressure because his salary was not released, leaving us heavily in debt,” she said.

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“I have two small children, and he was the sole breadwinner. His health deteriorated because the department failed to pay him for five months. He complained of leg pain, but despite my repeated requests to see a doctor, he couldn’t because we didn’t have the money,” she explained.

According to colleagues, Suresh Goswami completed his shift without any issues on the day he passed away. On his way home, he experienced chest pain and was rushed to the hospital by his family. He died of cardiac arrest en route. He was posted at Raj Ghat Depot 2, with an enrolment number of 1676.

Another marshal, Ashok Kumar, from Harewali village and stationed at Kanjhawala Depot, also died of cardiac arrest earlier in August. His enrollment number was 3,627.

According to friends and colleagues, Kumar suffered a heart attack after reaching home from work.

“He had a family of two, and their situation was dire. They lived in a rented house, and he was the sole provider. Neither the government nor the department offered any help to the family,” they said.

Om Prakash Kataria, another marshal, passed away on July 22, this year, due to a cardiac arrest. He was from Harshul Vihar, Najafgarh, near Nagli Dairy, and was posted at Dwarka Sector 2 Depot, with an enrolment number of 5,764.

The deaths of three bus marshals have laid bare the profound human toll of administrative neglect. As the Delhi government and its agencies remain silent, families are left to grapple with loss, debt, and despair, while those still serving continue to work under crushing pressure.