Action against drivers without Marathi knowledge from Aug 20: Maharashtra minister

Mumbai, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday announced that a drive will begin on Thursday to act against auto‑rickshaw and taxi drivers without a "working knowledge" of Marathi.

Action will be initiated against those who do not possess the required certificate or working knowledge of Marathi. Notices will first be issued, and if compliance is not achieved, the driver's licence and badge may be suspended for three months, he told reporters.

A drive will begin from Thursday against autorickshaw and taxi drivers who do not have working knowledge of Marathi, he said.


"If someone fails to do so even after three months, orders will be issued for cancellation of their license and badge," Sarnaik said.

Additional Transport Commissioner Ravi Gaikwad will lead the month-long drive against non-Marathi taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers across the state, the minister said.

The Regional Transport Office (RTO) flying squads have been instructed through video conference to carry out checks and ensure implementation of the amended rules. Video recording of the verification process will also be carried out, he added.

Earlier, pointing to a provision in the amended motor vehicle rules, Sarnaik had on Tuesday said that autorickshaw and taxi drivers across the state will be given an opportunity to learn Marathi before any punitive action is taken against them.

However, the statement failed to allay fears among a large section of commercial passenger drivers in the state who hail from other parts of the country and lack proficiency in Marathi.

Non-Marathi drivers in Maharashtra fear losing livelihoods over the ambiguous "working knowledge" requirement in the mandatory language rule, despite state assurances that they will get sufficient learning time, including a 30-day notice period, before permits are revoked.

"The state government has made working knowledge of Marathi mandatory, but what actually constitutes 'working knowledge' has not been clearly defined," said DM Gosavi, leader of the Seva Sarathi Autorickshaw Taxi and Transport Union.

He said this ambiguity will fuel corruption in the RTO and lead to the financial exploitation of drivers. A large section of commercial passenger drivers in the state hail from other parts of the country and lack proficiency in Marathi.

Under the recently amended state motor vehicle rules, drivers face a one-month notice to acquire a "working knowledge" of Marathi. Failure to do so can result in a three-month license suspension and the eventual cancellation of their operating permits.

Nearly six lakh autorickshaw and taxi drivers operating in Maharashtra, particularly in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), will be brought under a Marathi-language learning initiative, Sarnaik said on Tuesday.

The minister said more than 1.65 lakh people from across the country participated in the Marathi-learning initiative launched a few months ago.

"After this initiative, 1,65,601 drivers from across Maharashtra have come forward," Sarnaik said, adding that the Marathi Language Department would work with the Transport Department and other officials to strengthen the initiative.

Explaining the rationale behind the drive, the Shiv Sena MLA said the government wants people to learn the language and decided to continue this project.