Licences of taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers who fail to clear a Marathi language test will be cancelled from August 16, The Hindu quoted Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik as saying on Wednesday.

On April 14, the state government made it mandatory for all licensed taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers to have a basic knowledge of Marathi from May 1. However, on April 29, it deferred the implementation of the decision until August 15.

When the test was announced, officials told The Hindu that drivers would be assessed on their ability to read Marathi signboards or documents, write a simple sentence and hold a basic conversation in the language.

Separately, while replying to a question on making domicile certificates mandatory for bike taxi operators, Sarnaik said on Wednesday that licensed bike taxi services would officially commence in Maharashtra from August 1, the newspaper reported.

He said that the government had decided to make domicile certificates mandatory because many unauthorised bike taxi operators had entered the market, creating difficulties for law enforcement agencies.

“Anyone seeking permission to operate a bike taxi service in Maharashtra will have to produce a domicile certificate establishing that he or she is a resident of the state,” The Hindu quoted him as saying. “We are bringing the necessary legislative provisions for this.”

Edited by Sneha.

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