Mumbai, August 28: The Maharashtra government has made a significant announcement regarding auto-rickshaw, taxi, and cab drivers across the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared that all drivers working in the state will be given one year to learn functional Marathi. This decision has garnered various reactions from the drivers.
An auto driver expressed during an interview, “This is a great initiative. I have been driving for 24 years and have never faced any issues. If I don’t know Marathi, passengers usually switch to Hindi, but learning Marathi is beneficial.”
A taxi driver from Uttar Pradesh commented, “We are from UP. The government’s decision to extend the deadline for learning Marathi is excellent. We will comfortably learn Marathi in this time. However, we don’t face many issues as most passengers understand Hindi.”
Another veteran driver noted, “Having driven a taxi for so long, I can understand Marathi to a large extent. I just struggle a bit with speaking. A year is sufficient; we will try to learn to speak well too.”
One more driver shared, “Most people understand Hindi, so we don’t face much difficulty. Sometimes, we speak broken Marathi, and the other person responds in Hindi. But if the government says we should learn, we will. It will benefit us.”
It is noteworthy that there has been an ongoing debate regarding the Marathi language in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the state government has granted non-Marathi auto and taxi drivers one year to learn conversational Marathi. During this period, classes will also be organized for the drivers to facilitate their learning.
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