Govt to design training module to teach Marathi to auto, taxi drivers: Sarnaik

Mumbai, Apr 22 (PTI) The Maharashtra government will design a training curriculum to teach Marathi to auto and taxi drivers in the state as part of its decision to make the language compulsory for them from May 1, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Wednesday.

The move has prompted the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to begin putting stickers on autorickshaws in Mumbai stating that the driver knows Marathi.

Sarnaik said that the government has taken concrete steps to effectively implement its decision from Maharashtra Day (May 1), making it mandatory for drivers of autorickshaws, taxis and app-based services such as Ola, Uber and e-bikes to communicate with passengers in Marathi.

As part of the initiative, emphasis will be placed on designing

a training curriculum to teach the language to non-Marathi drivers, he said.

The minister said he has convened a special meeting on April 24 with experts, litterateurs and administrative officials from related sectors to discuss ways to make communication in Marathi mandatory, the implementation framework and the training plan, he said.

With Marathi recently being granted the status of a “classical language”, the initiative has gained added importance, he said. Efforts will also be made to ensure that the move fosters a sense of affinity for the Marathi language among drivers, rather than remaining merely an administrative directive, he told reporters here.

Anyone doing business in the state should be able to converse in Marathi, he said.

“Despite the decision taken in 2019, several complaints have been received about its poor implementation in many places. It has been observed that passengers often face difficulties as non-local drivers do not communicate in Marathi,” said the minister.

Sarnaik said the initiative would be an important step towards easing communication between drivers and passengers, while also preserving the dignity of the Marathi language.

MNS Mumbai president Sandeep Deshpande said their transport wing has started putting stickers on autorickshaws in Mumbai with a message that the driver knows Marathi.

He said the time has come to teach a lesson to those “arrogant” auto drivers who say they won’t speak in Marathi.

“From today, our transport wing will paste a sticker on auto drivers with the message that ‘Me Marathi Bolto’ (I speak Marathi), ‘Mala Marathi Samazta’ (I understand Marathi) and ‘Majhya Rickshaw Madhye Tumhi Basu Shakta’ (you can sit in my autorickshaw),” Deshpande said.

He urged Marathi speakers to travel only in autos featuring the message.

Earlier, Sarnaik had warned that the licenses of public transport drivers who do not possess basic knowledge of Marathi would be cancelled.

“A state-wide inspection campaign will be conducted through 59 regional and sub-regional offices of the Motor Transport Department to verify if drivers can read and write the language,” the minister had stated. PTI MR PR NR