The Maharashtra government has adopted a strict stance regarding the Marathi language for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers. Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik warned that action would be taken under the law against drivers who refuse to learn Marathi or act defiantly.
According to the statement, if a driver does not learn Marathi after receiving a one-month notice, their license may be revoked after a three-month suspension. Minister Pratap Sarnaik reported that a campaign to teach taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers the Marathi language was conducted in Maharashtra over the last 105 days.
Currently, about 165 thousand auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers have learned Marathi and received the corresponding certificates. Sarnaik emphasized that although people from other states should be able to reside in Mumbai, since the language of Maharashtra is Marathi, its promotion is a priority.
The Transport Minister noted that some taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers publicly stated they would not learn Marathi, calling on the government to act as it saw fit. He called such behavior 'audacity' and stated that such an attitude is unacceptable. Such drivers will first be given a one-month notice; if they continue to refuse to learn Marathi, their license will be suspended for three months. If the driver still does not learn the language afterward, the government will consider it an aversion to Marathi, and their license will be withdrawn.
Furthermore, Sarnaik announced that upon obtaining a driving license, the driver's ability to speak Marathi will be tested when issuing the badge. The badge will only be issued after the language proficiency test.
To ensure compliance with this system, the transport department will organize random checks through a special RTO group named 'Vayuveg Patak' with mandatory video recording. Sarnaik assured that the government will act strictly within the bounds of the law and will not tolerate any threats or pressure.
The Maharashtra government also plans to verify the validity of old permits for auto-rickshaws and taxis. For this purpose, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed by the transport department. Responsibility for the verification has been assigned to the departmental commissioner. The SIT will determine whether the old permits are valid. Two months have been allocated to complete the verification, after which a report will be submitted to the Maharashtra Transport Minister.
