‘No need to be expert in Marathi’: CM Fadnavis as auto, taxi drivers protest against language diktat

Marathi language rule: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sought to calm autorickshaw and taxi drivers protesting the state’s Marathi proficiency requirement, saying they do not need to be experts in the language and only need a basic, working knowledge for their jobs.

His remarks came as fears over alleged steep fines triggered protests in parts of Mumbai, while commuters faced difficulty finding taxis and autorickshaws. The city had already been experiencing a shortage since Friday, with some commuters reporting waits of 40-50 minutes for an auto or cab.

“There is no reason to make them experts in Marathi. They should know work-related, basic Marathi,” Fadnavis said, adding that drivers had been given additional time to learn the language and that no licence had been cancelled.

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The Maharashtra government amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to make working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for commercial passenger vehicle drivers, including those working with app-based services such as Ola and Uber. The enforcement drive began on August 20 after a three-month grace period ended on August 15.

Under an August 12 government resolution, drivers without working knowledge of Marathi are to receive a one-month notice to learn the language. If they fail to meet the requirement after that period, their licence and badge can be suspended, with another three months provided to learn Marathi. Failure then could result in cancellation of the licence.

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik warned that action would be taken against RTO officials who fined drivers before the one-month notice period expired. A regional transport official said misinformation was being spread that drivers would be fined Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 for not having working knowledge of Marathi.

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At Laljipada in Kandivali West, drivers staged a road blockade around 9 am on Monday. Similar demonstrations were reported in Malad, Santacruz, Dahisar and Andheri. Some protesters allegedly stopped other drivers from ferrying passengers and forced some passengers to get off vehicles.

A section of autorickshaw drivers also began a three-day strike on Monday evening.

Drivers said they were willing to learn Marathi but complained that questions during RTO checks went beyond the material covered in government-backed training programmes. The checking drive is scheduled to continue until September 30.

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Another driver told India Today Digital this was especially difficult for older drivers with limited education who depend on driving for their livelihood. "Many auto-rickshaw drivers do not own their vehicles. Instead, they work under contractors who own several autos or cabs and pay drivers a share of their daily earnings. Learning another language while meeting daily income targets is very difficult. Not all of them become cab or auto drivers permanently. They keep moving from driving, labour work, and other jobs, whatever comes their way,” said a driver to the news site.

As of August 20, notices had been issued to 1,268 commercial passenger vehicle drivers, followed by another 1,499 non-Marathi-speaking drivers across Maharashtra on August 21. Sarnaik said 1,65,600 non-Marathi autorickshaw and taxi drivers had attended Marathi classes.