Mumbai taxi, auto-rickshaw drivers begin 3-day strike over Marathi mandate
Mumbai's auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers kicked off a three-day strike today, protesting the state's Marathi mandate.
The Maharashtra Transport Department now requires all drivers to pass a basic Marathi test within a month: if they don't, their badges could be suspended for three months, and continued refusal could permanently cancel both the badge and permit.
Only about 165,000 drivers certified
Many drivers are worried about the quick rollout and a driver's remark, "Can we pay a fine fo ₹15,000-20,000?"
Only about 165,000 out of around 965,000 drivers have managed to get certified so far.
Some feel it's unfair, one protester said, "At the time of issuing a license, we should have been told that knowing the Marathi language was mandatory."
Older drivers and those without formal education say they're struggling most, and one driver said they might have to move back to their hometown.