new delhi, Aug 20
Maharashtra’s taxi and autorickshaw drivers are being asked to brush up on their Marathi with a 16 question language test about daily conversation topics after the transport department launched a statewide drive on Thursday to check their working knowledge of Marathi.
Drivers who cannot answer satisfactorily are being given a month to learn the language. If they still fail the subsequent test, their badges could be suspended for three months, officials said. The questions are built around the kind of conversations drivers are likely to have with passengers rather than formal language lessons.
For instance, drivers are expected to understand and respond to phrases such as “Mala CNG bharayche aahe. Thode thambave lagel” (I need to fill up with CNG, we’ll have to stop for a while); “majhi rickshaw/taxi sharingchi aahe” (my auto/taxi is a shared one); and “meter chalu kele aahe” (have started the meter). A senior RTO official said the 16-question questionnaire was sent by the Transport Commissioner’s office and was based on Marathi-language training imparted to taxi and autorickshaw drivers by the Konkan Sahitya Parishad. The training programme ended on Independence Day.
“We have started checking whether the drivers know Marathi. Those who do not know the language will be issued a one-month notice and asked to learn Marathi within that period. “If, after one month, they are still unable to answer the questions satisfactorily, their badge will be suspended for three months.
They will again be given a month to learn the language. This action will continue,” said an RTO inspector conducting the check at Dadar in central Mumbai. The transport department has also directed RTO officials to videotape the exercise.
The month-long drive was announced by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday. He said the government did not intend to affect anyone’s livelihood, but wanted to ensure that Marathi, along with the state’s identity and culture, was preserved.
According to Sarnaik, 1.65 lakh drivers have already undergone Marathi training and received certificates during a 105-day campaign.
The latest drive follows the state government’s decision to make working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for taxi and autorickshaw drivers in Maharashtra. The government has amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to give effect to the requirement.
But the definition of “working knowledge” has already become a point of contention among driver unions.
“The Maharashtra government has recently amended the law to make working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for rickshaw and taxi drivers, but what is meant by working knowledge is not clearly defined. Obviously, it will fuel corruption in the RTOs,” DM Gosavi, leader of the Seva Sarathi Taxi Union, said.
Union leaders have also threatened an agitation if the exercise results in financial exploitation of drivers.
Retired RTO officials have raised a similar concern, saying the rules do not prescribe a detailed test or a standardised benchmark for assessing working knowledge.
“The working knowledge of Marathi is not clearly defined in the amended rules. It should have been clarified whether the RTO should conduct an oral or written test of drivers before issuing a badge,” said a former RTO official, requesting anonymity.
Sarnaik said the requirement for practical knowledge of Marathi among auto and taxi drivers has been on the books in Maharashtra since 1989, but was not strictly enforced.
The provision will now be implemented strictly under a relevant legal amendment made on August 12.
