Over 1,200 Auto, Taxi Drivers Get Notice For Not Knowing Enough Marathi

Notices were issued to 1,268 commercial passenger vehicle drivers -- mainly auto rickshaw and taxi drivers -- for not having adequate knowledge of Marathi on the first day of state-wide checking on Thursday, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said.

The notices were issued by the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the state, and these drivers were given one month to acquire the required working knowledge of the state's primary language, failing which their badges will be suspended for three months, the minister said.

A total of 8,217 drivers were tested till Thursday evening, including 3,995 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Sarnaik stated in a release.

In the MMR, 604 drivers were found to be lacking working knowledge of Marathi. In the rest of the state, 4,222 drivers were tested, and 664 were issued notices, the minister said.

The checking drive will continue until September 30, he said.

"Possessing working knowledge of Marathi is not merely a matter of following rules but is also about the convenience and safety of passengers," the minister said.

After announcing in May that basic proficiency in Marathi is compulsory, the state government introduced a course in Marathi for the benefit of non-Marathi drivers. It had also set a deadline of August 15 for them to learn Marathi.

Drivers were put through a 16-question test during Thursday's checking drive.

"Mala CNG bharayche aahe. Thode thambave lagel" (I need to fill up with CNG, we'll have to stop for a while); "majhi rickshaw/taxi sharing-chi aahe" (my auto/taxi is a shared one); and "meter chalu kele aahe" (have started the meter) were among the responses that officials expected from the drivers.

A senior RTO official said the questionnaire was based on the Marathi language training imparted to taxi and autorickshaw drivers by the Konkan Sahitya Parishad, which ended on Independence Day.

According to RTO officials, the questions deal with situations that drivers encounter in their daily work. They include asking passengers where they want to go, understanding directions, and communicating about fares, meters, routes and taxi or autorickshaw stands.

"If after one month they are still unable to answer the questions satisfactorily, their badge will be suspended for three months. They will again be given a month to learn the language. This action will continue," said an RTO inspector conducting the checking at Dadar in central Mumbai.

The transport department had also directed RTO officials to shoot videos of the checking.

Announcing the month-long drive on Wednesday, minister Sarnaik had said that the government did not intend to take away anyone's livelihood, but wanted to ensure that the Marathi language and the state's identity and culture were preserved.

He said 1.65 lakh drivers had already undergone Marathi training and been issued certificates during a 105-day campaign, which received a good response.

The move follows the state government's decision to make working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for taxi and autorickshaw drivers in Maharashtra. The state government has recently amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to give effect to the requirement.

Some leaders of taxi and autorickshaw drivers' unions have questioned what they claimed was a lack of a clear definition of "working knowledge" of Marathi in the rules.

"What is meant by working knowledge is not clearly defined. Obviously, it will fuel corruption in the RTOs," DM Gosavi, leader of the Seva Sarathi Taxi Union, said.

Retired RTO officials also said the rules did not prescribe a detailed test or a standardised benchmark for assessing working knowledge.

"The working knowledge of Marathi is not clearly defined in the amended rules. It should have been clarified whether the RTO should conduct an oral or written test of drivers before issuing a badge," said a former RTO official, requesting anonymity.

According to Sarnaik, the requirement of practical Marathi knowledge for operating autos and taxis has existed in Maharashtra since 1989 but had not been strictly enforced.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)