A police official interacts with auto-rickshaw drivers after State Transport Department had conducted Marathi language training for out-of-state auto-rickshaw drivers. (Image: Deepak Joshi)With the state’s Marathi proficiency checks for auto rickshaw and taxi drivers entering the enforcement phase, the state government on Tuesday announced a limited reprieve for those still trying to learn the language. Sixteen of the 48 Marathi training centres in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) that had shut after the August 15 deadline will reopen, with the government indicating that drivers may get more time to meet the requirement.The decision came amid continuing confusion among drivers over the enforcement process and protests against the language mandate. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the training programme would continue after receiving requests from drivers seeking to learn Marathi.Mumbai Autorickshaw Taximens Union leader Shashank Rao had sought an extension of at least three months for the training programme and more centres.Of the estimated 5.5 lakh auto rickshaw and taxi drivers in the MMR, around 60 per cent are non-Marathi-speaking, Rao said. “The continuation of these centres will facilitate drivers in learning the language with ease,” he said.The enforcement drive is scheduled to continue until September 30.Drivers who fail to demonstrate a working knowledge of Marathi are issued a notice and given one month to improve their proficiency.If they fail to comply, their driving licence and public service vehicle badge can be suspended for three months. Repeated violations can lead to permanent suspension. Officials may initiate the suspension process for PSV badges, but the badges will not be cancelled during this period.Drivers say the problem is not learning Marathi but being expected to acquire enough proficiency within a short period.Story continues below this adBasant Kumar Thakur from Jharkhand said many Marathi-speaking passengers were comfortable speaking to him in Hindi. “How will we learn and practise if they don’t speak the language themselves? You learn and then forget,” he said.Ranjit Mahto, from Bihar, said the questions asked during enforcement checks sometimes went beyond what drivers were taught during the training sessions.“During the sessions we were only taught basic conversational phrases. However, during the on-ground checks, officials are asking us everything from the colour of our uniform to how long we have stayed in Mumbai,” he said.Rakesh Patel, from Varanasi, said it was unrealistic to expect drivers to learn a new language within 20 days.Story continues below this adAcross the MMR, passenger transport services remained largely functional, though commuters reported reduced availability of autos in some areas. Some even reported higher fares on ride apps.