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 minister will chair a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the implementation of the Marathi mandate and a structured Marathi-language training syllabus to facilitate basic communication with commuters.
Language experts, litterateurs, and transport department officials will deliberate on measures regarding the effective implementation of the policy at the meeting, according to a release.
As the government is keen to implement the decision, the move is likely to revive strong identity politics. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS has started putting stickers on autorickshaws in Mumbai, stating that the driver knows Marathi.
Earlier this month, Sarnaik announced that speaking Marathi will be mandatory for auto drivers from May 1, and all 59 Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra will conduct a special drive to enforce the rule.
Upset with the decision, some unions representing auto rickshaw drivers have threatened to launch statewide agitation from May 4 and launch a signature campaign till April 28.
Sarnaik said the government has taken concrete steps to effectively implement its decision from Maharashtra Day, 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.
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 added.
“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, meanwhile, 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. PTI MR PR KK NR NSK
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