Licence will be cancelled if failed

Mumbai, 14 Apr (HS): Knowing Marathi (reading,

writing, spoken) will be mandatory for rickshaw and taxi drivers will be

mandatory in Maharashtra. The new rule will be enforced from May 1, 2026. Maharashtra

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has warned that the permits of rickshaw and

taxi drivers will be cancelled if they fail to learn the regional language.

The new rule will be strictly enforced through 59 Regional

and Sub-Regional Transport Offices from May 1, although the rule relating to

knowing regional language already exists, Sarnaik said. In some regions including

Mumbai Metropolitan, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur people face difficulty

in communication in Marathi with the rickshaw and taxi drivers. Many others

refrain from speaking in Marathi.

The RTO personnel will check and enforce the rule

and verify whether the drivers can read, write and speak Marathi and initiate

action.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar