For the MMR region, 1 lakh permits will be issued and for few other cities such as Solapur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad around 7500 permits will be issued.
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But this isn’t the first time the government suggested granting of licences to only Marathi-speaking applicants.
Announcing the decision, Transport minister Diwakar Raote said the applicant must speak Marathi and should have a domicile certificate, to show he has been a resident of the state for the past 15 years.
As per reports, by November, the Maharashtra state transport department will be issuing about one lakh autorikshaw permits, which would be applicable for driving the autorikshaw in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In 1997, the then government had stopped issuing fresh auto permits.
Apart from having a working knowledge of Marathi, the auto-rickshaw applicant should also have lived in the state for a minimum of 15 years.
“Suddenly, the government became serious about its implementation”, said a transport official, who did not wish to be named. “It is a politically motivated move to consolidate Marathi votes for the upcoming civic elections”. In such an environment, there can not be any discrimination in the name of language. “Should we ask the driver to learn their language as well?” asked Sanjay Nirupam, party’s Mumbai unit president.
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NCP leader Sachin Ahir on the other hand called the government “extremists”. The rule, that a permit-holder should know the local language has always been in place but never before was it imposed. “It seems this government is being run by extremists”, he said.
