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.
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.
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. “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. He also asked RTOs to record the checking process on video. It had also set a deadline of August 15 for them to learn Marathi. Earlier reporting noted: On August 12, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said drivers of passenger transport vehicles must have a working knowledge of Marathi to communicate effectively with commuters.
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. Earlier reporting noted: Sarnaik said drivers who do not have the required knowledge of Marathi will first be given time to learn the language. 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. Earlier reporting noted: On Wednesday, the transport minister announced a month-long statewide drive to assess drivers’ Marathi language skills.
