Mumbai:Taxi and autorickshaw drivers in Maharashtra are being put through a 16-question test after the transport department launched a statewide drive on Thursday to check their working knowledge of Marathi.

Teams from Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) are issuing one-month notices to those unable to answer satisfactorily and warning that their badges would be suspended if they fail a subsequent test, officials said.

“Mala CNG bharayche aahe. Thode thambave lagel” (I need to fill up with CNG, we’ll have to stop for a while); “majhi rickshaw/taxi sharingchi aahe” (my auto/taxi is a shared one); and “meter chalu kele aahe” (have started the meter) are among the routine responses that officials expect from the drivers.

The exercise, announced by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday, is being conducted as part of the state government’s move to make working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for drivers of taxis, autorickshaws and app-based cabs.

A senior RTO official said a 16-question questionnaire was received from the Transport Commissioner’s office and was based on the Marathi language training imparted to taxi and autorickshaw drivers by the Konkan Sahitya Parishad, which ended on Independence Day. (PTI)