Mumbai: Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik Monday put on hold the decision to cancel licences and permits of auto and taxi drivers from May 1 over non-compliance with the Marathi language requirement, opting instead for a phased campaign on awareness, verification and training. The Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union called off its May 4 protest after discussions.
From May 1 to Aug 15, govt will conduct a survey across 59 RTOs to determine how many drivers are Marathi-speaking and how many are not. The exercise will also detect fake licences, bogus badges and permit-related irregularities.
Non-Marathi-speaking drivers will be guided to training centres and offered tuition to acquire practical proficiency. "After giving them a reasonable chance, we will strictly enforce law," Sarnaik said.
The transport ministry has withdrawn its earlier decision of reading and writing tests in Marathi and will instead prepare a short curriculum focused on practical use.
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Somit Sen, Senior Editor at The Times of India, Mumbai. He covers...
Read MoreSomit Sen, Senior Editor at The Times of India, Mumbai. He covers stories on Power beat in Maharashtra and on Oil & Gas. He also covers RTO, BEST (Mumbai’s public transport buses), transport ministry, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, interstate transport (trucks/tempos) and the fleetcabs.
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