Focus is on ensuring drivers can communicate in Marathi: Pratap Sarnaik | Mumbai News
The Maharashtra Transport Department has launched a 100-day statewide verification drive targeting autorickshaws, taxis and other public service vehicles. The exercise combines checks on permits and licences with an assessment of drivers’ working knowledge of Marathi. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik explains the objectives, implementation strategy and legal framework of the drive.
What are its key objectives behind you initiating this drive?
The 100-day drive, running from May 1 to August 15, is a statewide enforcement and compliance initiative designed to address two interconnected issues in the transport sector.
First, it focuses on ensuring that commercial drivers are able to communicate effectively with passengers in Marathi. On the other, it targets illegal and unauthorised transport operations, which continue to function in several parts of the state despite earlier enforcement action.
At the ground level, the drive will be implemented through all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra. Dedicated officers will carry out field inspections and direct roadside interactions with drivers, rather than relying only on paperwork or desk-based verification.
Senior officials at the state level will monitor the progress through weekly reviews, ensuring enforcement is consistent across all regions and not limited to isolated checks. The emphasis is on continuous field presence and real-time action during the entire 100-day period.
The Marathi requirement is being enforced only through spoken interaction, supported by officers and a new guidebook. How will this model actually work on the ground across 59 RTOs, especially given the scale of drivers involved?
The Marathi communication requirement under this drive is designed as a field-based, interaction-driven system rather than a formal examination model.
Across all 59 RTOs in Maharashtra, designated officers will directly engage with drivers during routine inspections and check their ability to communicate in basic spoken Marathi used in passenger interactions. The focus is on functional communication in real transport situations, not classroom-style assessment.
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To support this, the Transport Department has introduced a “Practical Marathi” guidebook, which standardises commonly used phrases that drivers can rely on during daily operations. This is intended to ensure that communication is consistent, practical, and easy to adopt even for non-Marathi speakers.
What is significant in this model is that implementation is being combined with structured weekly programmes at the RTO level, where senior officers monitor progress and coordinate training efforts.
In addition, early pilot-level enforcement in places like Mira-Bhayandar has shown that a large number of drivers are willing to adapt to basic Marathi communication, and transport unions have also indicated support for the initiative.
The idea is not to introduce a one-time compliance test, but to build a gradual system of spoken language adaptation supported by field officers, unions, and certification over time.
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Illegal share-autos remain a persistent issue across Maharashtra, including high-demand areas like BKC. How will this drive address that?
The concern is not limited to individual pockets like BKC or Mira-Bhayandar, but extends to multiple urban and semi-urban corridors where passenger demand is consistently high. In such areas, informal shared transport systems tend to develop and operate outside the formal licensing framework.
Under the 100-day drive, RTO teams will carry out widespread field inspections across Maharashtra, covering transport hubs, busy junctions, and high-traffic commuter routes. The focus will be on identifying vehicles that are operating without valid permits or authorisation under transport rules.
The enforcement approach will be active throughout the duration of the drive, rather than limited to occasional checks. The intention is to ensure continuous monitoring over the 100-day period, so that illegal operations do not re-establish themselves after enforcement action.
When violations are detected, specifically cases involving operation without valid licensing or unauthorised passenger carriage, legal action will be initiated, including FIRs where required.
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Despite repeated enforcement, illegal services continue to operate. Why is it difficult to control them, and what will be different this time?
The persistence of illegal transport operations is primarily linked to high passenger demand in dense urban areas, combined with gaps in formally regulated transport availability.
Over time, informal systems have developed to respond to this demand, making enforcement a recurring challenge. Despite periodic action, these services often re-emerge due to structural pressures in the transport ecosystem.
What is different in the current drive is its scale and continuity. Instead of isolated or district-specific enforcement, this is a coordinated 100-day statewide programme involving all RTOs, with structured monitoring and regular reporting mechanisms.
The objective is to move away from reactive enforcement and create a continuous compliance framework during the entire drive period.
