Mumbai, July 14 (IANS) Union Minister and Republican Party of India-A Ramdas Athawale on Friday opposed Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti’s move to mandate Marathi speaking by autorickshaw and taxi drivers in Maharashtra, cautioning against creating disputes between those speaking different languages.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced on Wednesday that autorickshaw and taxi drivers across the state will face license cancellation if they fail to possess functional knowledge of the Marathi language.
Reacting to the decision, Athawale said: “I think Mumbai is a city that is the economic capital of India. People from every corner of the country come here and find employment and earn a livelihood. Being the economic capital, Mumbai attracts people from across the country. There are also major film industries and large industrialists. So, I think creating a Hindi-Marathi dispute is absolutely not right.”
However, the Union Minister told IANS that everyone living in Maharashtra should learn Marathi and have knowledge of the language.
“But taking immediate action against someone who does not know Marathi is not right. An auto-rickshaw driver is an ordinary working person. He is a labourer who earns around Rs 20,000 a month by driving an auto-rickshaw,” he said.
Acknowledging that Sarnaik has announced to make Marathi classes available for the auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, Athawale said: “Many of the drivers are learning Marathi but cancelling their permit (if the drivers don’t know the language) is not right. They should be given more time.”
The Union Minister claimed that 80 per cent non-Marathi people in Maharashtra are able to speak the language. “Today most people understand Marathi here, and many are able to speak the language, including children,” he added.
The Maharashtra government issued an official Government Resolution (GR) putting into force the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026 under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Under the amended regulations, drivers without practical speaking skills or working knowledge of Marathi will first receive a one-month notice. If a driver fails to learn the language within that month, their licence authorisation will be suspended for up to three months.
Continued non-compliance following the suspension will lead to the permanent cancellation of their driving licence.
The Law and Judiciary Department has already cleared the proposal submitted by the Transport Department to enable this legal enforcement.
Minister Sarnaik had clarified that the mandate is rooted in an existing 1989 rule that had not been strictly enforced by officials in the past.
–IANS
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