Maharashtra’s Marathi language rule for auto-rickshaw and cabbie drivers has turned the state’s roads into examination halls. Officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) played the examiners, putting thousands of your local auto and taxi wala bhaiyyas through a grilling question-and-answer session, one Marathi communication at a time. Starting Thursday, August 20, officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) began their rounds, testing auto and taxi drivers on their working knowledge of Marathi through everyday conversation they are likely to have with the passengers. The questions are specific and show everyday conversations - “Please start the meter”, “How much time will it take to reach…”, “Do you have change?”, “How do I pay you, cash or online?”, etc. Some of them are situation-based - “Rain has started”, “Please stop ahead, I have to pick someone up”, “Where is the rickshaw stand?”, etc. The drivers are then expected to understand the question and answer appropriately in Marathi, often with the phrases they have already been taught during a 105-day Marathi training and assessment drive. By the end of Day 1 of the Marathi test, over 8,000 drivers had been assessed; of these, as many as 1,268 who couldn’t answer the questions in Marathi were issued notices. On Day 2 of the state-wide drive, 1,499 non-Marathi-speaking auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers were issued notices for not having enough working knowledge of the language. The Marathi language checks are being carried out by flying squads as well as during the renewal of vehicle fitness certificates at RTO offices. The drive will continue till September 30. Why is Marathi mandatory for auto, taxi drivers? The state Transport Department reasons that all drivers should be able to communicate with the passengers in the state’s native language. The move followed complaints that they were unable to understand basic instructions or communicate with passengers in Marathi. The state has also amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to implement 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. But the issue surfaced when an inspection by the Mira Bhayandar RTO found that several auto drivers lacked basic Marathi proficiency. It was then that Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik declared that they all had to learn Marathi. (With PTI inputs)
