The Maharashtra government has made it mandatory for all licensed auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across the state to know Marathi from May 1, with licences of non-compliant drivers liable to be cancelled, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced on Thursday.
Issuing the directive ahead of Maharashtra Day, Sarnaik warned: "From May 1, it will be mandatory for all licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers to be able to read and write Marathi. The licences of drivers who do not follow the rules will be cancelled. Also, strict action will be taken against transport officials who ignore the rules and issue licences incorrectly."
To enforce the rule, a statewide inspection campaign will be conducted through 59 regional and sub-regional offices of the Motor Transport Department to verify whether drivers can read, write, and communicate in Marathi. The proficiency test will assess whether a driver can read a signboard, write a basic sentence, and hold a simple conversation in the language.
The minister acknowledged that the rule requiring knowledge of the local language for issuing licences is already in force but is being widely flouted. The Transport Department has received numerous complaints, particularly from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Nagpur, regarding drivers being unable or reluctant to communicate with passengers in Marathi, he said.
Sarnaik made clear that the crackdown would not spare government officials either. "It is everyone's duty to learn the language of the region where they conduct business. While it is important to be proud of one's mother tongue, it is equally vital to respect the state's language while working there," he said.
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The directive, however, has drawn sharp opposition. With an estimated 70 per cent of Mumbai's five lakh drivers hailing from North India, the Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union has reportedly warned that the move may be legally challenged if it leads to mass licence cancellations.
Shashank Rao, president of the Auto Rickshaw and Taximen Union, termed the proposed action 'vindictive', saying: "Drivers take loans and work hard to serve people — this will hurt families. The decision must be withdrawn immediately."
This is not the first time such a directive has been issued. In 2016, the Maharashtra government issued a similar order requiring working knowledge of Marathi for new auto-rickshaw permits, which was met with legal challenges and debate over whether it discriminated against migrants.
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