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A big and strict rule is going to be implemented for rickshaw and taxi drivers in Maharashtra. From May 1 i.e. ‘Maharashtra Day’, it has been made mandatory for all licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers to have knowledge of the local language ‘Marathi’. State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has bluntly warned that the licenses of drivers who do not know how to read and write Marathi will be canceled with immediate effect.

To strictly enforce this new rule, a special license checking campaign will be conducted through 59 regional and sub-regional offices of the Motor Transport Department. Under this campaign, the concerned drivers will be tested whether they know how to read and write Marathi language or not.

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik clarified that as per the rules of the Motor Transport Department, knowledge of the local language (Marathi) is already a mandatory condition while granting license to a rickshaw or taxi driver. Despite this, complaints were being received continuously from big cities like Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur.

Passengers said that many licensed drivers are unable to communicate with them in Marathi and some deliberately avoid speaking Marathi. Keeping this in mind, the administration has now decided to take strict action.

Minister Sarnaik said, “It is the duty of every person to learn the language of the state where we live and do our business. As important as it is to be proud of our mother tongue, it is equally important to respect the local language while working in another state.”

Not only drivers but also officers will come under the ambit of this decision. The minister said in a strict tone that the transport officers who ignore the rules and wrongly issue licenses without Marathi knowledge will also be investigated and strict punitive action will be taken against them.