Mumbai auto and taxi drivers who do not know Marathi could now face action as the Maharashtra government begins enforcing its language requirement from Tuesday.
The government had earlier given drivers time to learn Marathi and complete the required training.
Drivers who do not know Marathi won’t lose their licences immediately. That deadline has now ended. Drivers still have up to four months to comply. Sarnaik credited Eknath Shinde with the political initiative behind the Marathi-learning campaign. He also alleged that some Hindi-speaking leaders had tried to defame him and his department.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has said drivers who cannot demonstrate the required knowledge of Marathi will first be given a 30-day notice. Around 1.25 lakh auto and taxi drivers who completed the Marathi language course conducted by the government and received certificates will not face action under this provision. Around 1.25 lakh auto and taxi drivers learnt Marathi, passed the examination and received certificates during the 105-day campaign, according to him.
At the concluding ceremony of the ‘Hinduhriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Language Course Campaign’ held in Thane, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said Marathi is a “language of devotion, not compulsion”. At the same time, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik took a strict stand on the rules and said the attitude of “I will not speak Marathi” will no longer be accepted. He said the campaign would not have been possible if Shinde had not been his political guru.
The government earlier gave drivers time to learn Marathi and complete the required training.
