Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has issued a strong warning to auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers who do not have working knowledge of Marathi, saying they could face legal action if they fail to meet the language requirement after the August 15 deadline. Marathi represents Maharashtra’s culture and tradition and people working in the state’s passenger transport sector must be able to communicate in the local language.
The warning comes as the Maharashtra government has modified provisions of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, making working knowledge of Marathi a requirement for certain commercial passenger vehicle operators. The new changes specifically extend the language requirement to app-based taxi drivers and commercial passenger vehicle permit holders. A similar requirement had already been introduced for auto-rickshaw and kaali-peeli taxi drivers from May 1.
Sarnaik said: “The objective of the government is to make sure that the rules are implemented and loopholes are not exploited by drivers to avoid compliance.” The Minister of Transport has also issued a directive to the transport department to take action against drivers who fail to reach the Marathi proficiency.
The amended rules have Marathi proficiency as mandatory to obtain driving authorisations and commercial passenger vehicle permits. Under the new Rule 4, knowledge of Marathi must be satisfactory to the competent authority. The rules also tie the requirement to Rules 78 and 85 for permit holders working in electronic meter-equipped app cabs and permit holders applying for renewal of relevant permits.
The government has also laid out penalties for non-compliance. If drivers fail to meet the requirement, they may not be able to receive their authorisation for three months after that. Failure to do so or repeated violations may result in cancellation of the authorisation. This makes the language requirement more than a voluntary training program and it gives authorities a means of enforcement of it through the transport licensing system.
The immediate deadline applies to auto-rickshaw and kaali-peeli taxi drivers. Their compliance period ends on August 15, after which enforcement activity will start. According to the chairperson of the Marathi Commission, Ravi Gaikwad, Regional Transport Office, or RTO, squads will start checking compliance starting from August 17.
The rollout for app-based cab drivers and other commercial passenger vehicle permit holders is expected to take place in a staggered manner. This is to give different drivers the time to fulfill the relevant requirements and also for the transport authorities to scale up enforcement gradually.
A significant number of drivers have already taken steps to comply with the government’s language requirement. More than 1.1 lakh non-Marathi-speaking auto and taxi drivers across Maharashtra have reportedly completed a 105-day functional Marathi training programme. The programme has been conducted through RTOs and language centres to help drivers acquire basic Marathi communication skills needed for their work.
The training initiative is especially important because auto and taxi drivers interact with passengers from a lot of parts of the state. The government believes that basic knowledge of Marathi will help drivers communicate with passengers and be a part of Maharashtra’s linguistic and cultural landscape.
The drivers who have completed the training programme will be felicitated on August 17 at Thane's Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan. The event is expected to be attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar as well as Marathi language minister Uday Samant. Certificates will also be issued to drivers who successfully completed the programme and the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad will be conducting the certification event.
But Sarnaik’s remarks reveal the government’s view as moving away from training and awareness to enforcement. His warning that drivers who do not assimilate to Maharashtra's culture will not be spared signals that authorities are prepared to use the amended transport rules against those who don’t do so.
The move has placed language proficiency in the regulatory framework for commercial passenger transport in Maharashtra. Although thousands of drivers have already been trained, the next few weeks will determine how strict the rules are enforced and how authorities assess whether individual drivers possess the required working knowledge of Marathi.
For drivers, the August 15 deadline is therefore a key step toward compliance. Anyone who meets the current requirement will have to demonstrate that they are proficient in Marathi to be able to meet the prescribed level of Marathi proficiency, or risk suspension or, at the end of the day, cancellation of their driving authorisation if they do not comply.
The Maharashtra government’s policy combines language training with regulatory enforcement, which makes Marathi proficiency an increasingly important condition for commercial passenger transport operators in the state. RTO squads are expected to start enforcement soon after the deadline, so auto, taxi and app-cab drivers who fall under the rules will be under greater pressure to complete the required process and comply with the amended regulations.
