Autorickshaw drivers in Vasai who have completed Marathi language training are displaying signs reading “Yes, I have learnt Marathi; I speak Marathi” on their vehicles, following the Maharashtra government’s decision to extend the deadline for non-Marathi-speaking autorickshaw and taxi drivers to acquire basic Marathi knowledge.
The signs are intended to help passengers identify drivers who have completed the prescribed training. Drivers are also hoping the display will encourage passengers to prefer their autorickshaws, according to a report by Loksatta – Vasai-Virar.
The state government has made basic Marathi knowledge mandatory for non-Marathi autorickshaw and taxi drivers. An initial deadline of August 15 had been set for compliance. After some drivers who had either failed the training or could not attend the classes sought more time, the government extended the deadline by one year, allowing them additional time to learn the language. Marathi training remains mandatory during the extended period.
Training classes were conducted across 32 of Maharashtra’s 36 districts with the cooperation of the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad. In Palghar district, centres were established on a taluka-wise basis for autorickshaw drivers. A total of 11,640 non-Marathi autorickshaw drivers completed the training and received certificates from the transport department, according to the report.
The deadline extension followed opposition from some autorickshaw drivers to the earlier compliance schedule. The report said that, in some places, drivers adopted an aggressive stance and attempted to stop passenger autorickshaws during protests. Drivers who had not completed the training had asked the government to relax the August 15 condition and provide more time to learn Marathi.
One Vasai autorickshaw driver quoted in the report said he did not want to affect anyone’s livelihood, but wanted passengers to know that he had completed the Marathi-language training within the specified period. The sign, he said, was being displayed for that purpose.
The latest signs follow an earlier campaign in which boards carrying messages such as “I speak Marathi, travel in my autorickshaw” were placed on vehicles of drivers who could speak Marathi. That campaign was launched by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena after the transport department decided to enforce the Marathi-language requirement more strictly. The one-year extension now gives drivers who remain outside the completed-training group additional time to meet the requirement.
