At Dadar’s Swaminarayan Temple on Thursday, the usual bustle of taxis picking up passengers gave way to roadside Marathi tests, with RTO officials stopping drivers and asking them to respond in Marathi to everyday requests about destinations, fares, travel time, UPI payments and routes. By the end of the first day of the crackdown, 8,217 drivers had been tested across Maharashtra, with 1,268 notices issued to those found lacking the required Marathi knowledge, including 604 notices among 3,995 drivers tested across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.The figures marked the first day of enforcement of the Maharashtra Transport Department’s requirement that taxi and autorickshaw drivers demonstrate a working knowledge of Marathi. Flying squads were deployed across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.An RTO officer said the assessment was based on 15 to 16 questions. “The process is very simple. We have a list of 15 to 16 questions based on which we are analysing whether the driver knows Marathi. If he fails, then we are issuing notice to him,” the officer said.The exercise, officials stressed, is not meant to test fluency. The idea is to determine whether a driver can understand and respond to the basic Marathi needed while dealing with passengers. “The questions which are issued by the government help to analyse whether the driver has knowledge to carry out the business. He should be able to answer the questions of the passengers. It is not expected that the driver will have proficiency in the language,” the officer said. The Transport Department has launched enforcement action against non-Marathi-speaking auto-rickshaw drivers who have failed to acquire proficiency in Marathi. (Express photo by DEEPAK JOSHI)For some drivers, the first day exposed the difference between attending a Marathi class and being confident enough to use the language.Taxi driver Arvind Mourya, who had attended the classes, was served a notice. “I have attended the classes, but I am not very confident to speak. I will take YouTube classes and speak the language. After one month they will check my proficiency in the language and I am sure I will be able to crack it,” he said.Another driver, Iqbal Ahmed, said his work schedule had prevented him from attending the classes. “We are all drivers and have a busy schedule due to which I was unable to attend the classes, but now that I have been served notice I will learn the language,” he said.Story continues below this adThe checks also led to a heated exchange with one taxi driver, who insisted that he knew Marathi but questioned why the exercise was being conducted. During the argument, he accused officials of bringing “politics” into the language issue and repeatedly questioned the need for the checks.Officials and others at the spot attempted to calm him down as the exchange continued.The Transport Department says the requirement is intended to ensure that taxi and autorickshaw drivers can understand passengers and communicate with them in Marathi.The government had earlier undertaken a 105-day training and assessment programme, beginning May 1, across 59 RTOs, sub RTOs and language training centres. More than 4,500 teachers from the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad and Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh trained drivers in basic conversational Marathi.Story continues below this adThe four-session training focused on everyday interactions with passengers, including destinations, fares, directions and routine questions.In Mumbai, nearly 1.25 lakh drivers completed the programme, but 7,750 failed the assessment and have to reappear, while more than 14,000 had not completed the training.Drivers served notices during the crackdown have been given one month to learn Marathi. After that, they will have to demonstrate that they have met the requirement. Failure can result in suspension of their badge for three months, while continued non-compliance can lead to suspension of their driving licence, officials said.Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the flying squads will continue checking the Marathi language proficiency of auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across the state till September 30.Story continues below this ad“Practical knowledge of Marathi is mandatory for auto and taxi drivers, and the rule will be strictly implemented from August 20. Our objective is not to take away anyone’s livelihood, but to ensure that drivers can communicate with passengers in basic Marathi. Drivers who lack the required knowledge will first be given one month to learn the language. If they fail to comply, their badge will be suspended for up to three months. Continued refusal to learn Marathi can lead to cancellation of the badge and licence. New badges will also be issued only after RTO officials verify the driver’s practical Marathi knowledge through direct interaction and video recording. The crackdown will continue till September 30,” Sarnaik said.