Following the ongoing Marathi language row in Maharashtra, several autorickshaw drivers in Mumbai launched a three-day strike on Monday to protest the Marathi language requirement for auto-rickshaw, taxi and cab drivers.
Speaking about the strike, one autorickshaw driver said, “There is a three-day autorickshaw strike. This has been called over the Marathi language directive. Nobody is listening to us. If you ask a 60-year-old person to suddenly speak Marathi, how will they do it? We want justice.”
Another driver said several drivers are aged between 50 and 60 and have never learned Marathi, questioning how they could be expected to learn the language suddenly. He said, “We have never been to school. How can we speak Marathi? Had we been educated, we would have been sitting in an office. We are trying to speak broken Marathi, but that is not being considered; we are being penalised instead.”
Drivers question fines
Questioning the fines, he said, “How can one pay Rs 15,000-20,000 as a fine?” He added, “We will continue this three-day strike until justice is done.”
Statewide Marathi assessment drive
The protest comes amid an ongoing statewide drive to assess the practical Marathi knowledge of autorickshaw and taxi drivers. According to data dated August 21, RTO teams tested 9,233 drivers across Maharashtra on the second day of the drive, of whom 1,499 were found to lack practical Marathi knowledge and were subsequently served notices.
In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), 3,942 vehicle owners and drivers underwent the assessment on the second day. Of these, 722 were found to lack practical Marathi knowledge, and notices were issued to all of them. Outside the MMR, authorities tested 5,291 drivers, with 777 failing the practical language assessment and receiving notices.
Kandivali protest disrupts traffic
Earlier in the day, traffic movement on Kandivali Link Road was also disrupted after a group of autorickshaw drivers allegedly stopped their vehicles on the road to protest the state government's Marathi language requirement.
The protest reportedly caused a traffic jam on Link Road, with vehicle movement slowing for around 20 minutes, inconveniencing commuters and motorists. Traffic police reached the spot and began efforts to clear the road and bring the situation under control.
Moreover, the statewide drive follows the Maharashtra government's decision to make practical knowledge of Marathi a requirement for autorickshaw and taxi drivers.
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