India
pti-PTI
On the second day of the state-wide drive, the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) issued notices to 1,499 non-Marathi-speaking auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across Maharashtra on Friday for not having enough working knowledge of Marathi language.
Maharashtra RTOs issued 1,499 notices on Friday to auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers lacking Marathi proficiency during a statewide drive ending September 30. Over 2,700 notices were issued combined across the first two days, mandated by a government decision and amended rules.
A senior official said 5,299 auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers were subjected to the language test across Maharashtra, excluding the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), of whom 777 were found to be lacking the working knowledge of Marathi.
“Notices were issued to all such drivers,” he said. In the MMR, 3,482 drivers were assessed, of whom 722 failed to clear the test, and notices were issued to 622 of them, the official said.
The exercise, which began on Thursday, is being carried out as part of the Transport Department’s drive to ensure that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers possess working knowledge of Marathi.
On the first day of the month-long drive, 8,217 drivers were put to test and 1,268 commercial passenger vehicle drivers, including auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, were issued notices for failing the language proficiency test.
Of these, 604 notices were issued in the MMR. According to the RTO officials, checks are being carried out by flying squads as well as during the renewal of vehicle fitness certificates at RTO offices.
During the exercise, the drivers are being put through a 16-question test based on everyday situations, including communicating with passengers about destinations, directions, fares, meters, routes and stands.
The drive will continue till September 30. The move follows the state government’s decision to make working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers. The state has also amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to give effect to the requirement.
The government had earlier launched Marathi-language training for non-Marathi-speaking drivers, with 1.65 lakh drivers completing the course and receiving certificates during a 105-day campaign.
However, some drivers’ union leaders and retired RTO officials have questioned the lack of a clear definition and standardised benchmark for “working knowledge” of Marathi, saying this could lead to arbitrary assessments.
