Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 19: Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday announced that a month-long drive will begin across the state from Thursday against auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers who do not have the required “working knowledge” of Marathi.
Sarnaik said action would initially involve issuing notices to drivers who do not possess the required certificate or working knowledge of the language. If they fail to comply, their driving licence and badge could be suspended for three months.
“If someone fails to do so even after three months, orders will be issued for cancellation of their licence and badge,” Sarnaik told reporters.
Additional Transport Commissioner Ravi Gaikwad will lead the month-long enforcement drive against drivers who do not meet the Marathi language requirement, the minister said.
Regional Transport Office (RTO) flying squads have been instructed through a video conference to conduct checks and ensure implementation of the amended rules. The verification process will also be video recorded, Sarnaik said.
The minister had on Tuesday said that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across Maharashtra would first be given an opportunity to learn Marathi before punitive action was taken against them.
However, the assurance has not fully eased concerns among a large section of commercial passenger vehicle drivers from other parts of the country who are not proficient in Marathi.
Non-Marathi-speaking drivers have expressed concern over the requirement, particularly because the term “working knowledge” has not been clearly defined. They fear that ambiguity over the requirement could affect their livelihoods despite the government's assurance that they would receive adequate time to learn the language.
“The State government has made working knowledge of Marathi mandatory, but what actually constitutes ‘working knowledge’ has not been clearly defined,” said D.M. Gosavi, leader of the Seva Sarathi Autorickshaw Taxi and Transport Union.
Gosavi said the ambiguity could encourage corruption within the RTO system and lead to financial exploitation of drivers. A significant number of commercial passenger vehicle drivers in Maharashtra are from other states and have limited proficiency in Marathi.
Under the recently amended state motor vehicle rules, drivers will receive a one-month notice to acquire working knowledge of Marathi. Failure to comply can result in suspension of their licence for three months and, eventually, cancellation of their operating permits.
Nearly six lakh auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across Maharashtra, particularly those operating in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), will be brought under a Marathi-language learning initiative, Sarnaik had said on Tuesday.
He said more than 1.65 lakh people from across the country had already participated in a 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 programme.
Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, the Shiv Sena MLA said the government wanted people working in the state to learn Marathi and had therefore decided to continue and expand the language-learning programme.
The enforcement drive is expected to bring the amended language requirement into focus, particularly among commercial drivers from outside Maharashtra, as authorities begin verifying their Marathi proficiency from Thursday.