Auto, taxi drivers must know Marathi from Aug 18; non-compliant drivers get one month to learn

MUMBAI: With working knowledge of Marathi being made mandatory for auto taxi drivers from August 18, those caught by RTO flying squads will be served a show-cause notice, granting them one month to learn the language and explain why action should not be initiated against them.

As per the amended Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rules, the action against non-compliant drivers will follow a three-step process. Under the first stage, RTO flying squads will conduct random checks to assess drivers’ proficiency in functional Marathi. Drivers found lacking adequate knowledge will be issued a show-cause notice and will get a month to learn the basic language. An RTO official said on Saturday that the govt programme where RTO offices trained the drivers “was not being extended at present” and such drivers may have to learn the language through private course.

Second, if a driver fails to comply with the showcause notice and does not acquire the required language skills within the stipulated period, the department will suspend the driving licence for three months. For a repeated violation, authorities will issue a second notice, following which the driver’s licence may be revoked under the provisions of the amended law, officials said.

Meanwhile, the state transport department has prepared over a lakh certificates on Friday and Saturday and will distribute them to auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers who have completed the basic Marathi language course conducted across Maharashtra’s 58 RTOs over the past 3 months. Sources in RTOs said that these certificates will be kept by drivers who will show it to checking squads and may act as “immunity” from action against them for the ongoing Marathi language issue.

The certificates will be distributed at special functions organised simultaneously at all 58 RTOs on Monday. Drivers from across the state are expected to gather at their respective RTOs to participate in a live-streaming of a major felicitation ceremony being held at Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan in Thane. At the event, a section of drivers who completed the Marathi course will be honoured by CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.

According to transport department officials, the deadline for drivers to complete Marathi language training ended on August 15. The transport department said the initiative is aimed at improving communication between public transport drivers and commuters while promoting wider use of Marathi in public-facing services across the state. The emphasis is on auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers having functional knowledge of Marathi to ensure effective communication with passengers.