Mumbai autos and taxis are off the road over Marathi tests.
A three-day strike is on. About 2,500 notices have gone out. Fadnavis says they can have more time.
A section of Mumbai's auto and taxi drivers is on a three-day strike over Marathi language tests.
The Maharashtra Transport Department began on-road checks on 20 August, and The Hindu says the drive runs to 30 September. Drivers who fail a conversational assessment get a month to learn. After that, a badge can be suspended for three months, and cancelled on a repeat. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik put it as a licence suspension. Statewide, more than 2,500 notices have gone out. About 13,000 drivers have already been tested in Mumbai and elsewhere, according to the department.
Drivers say they will learn Marathi, but that RTO officials are asking questions beyond the training. Commuters faced empty stands and surge fares on Monday, day one, in the middle of the monsoon. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government can give more time.
The rule is aimed at a migrant workforce that keeps the city's last-mile rides moving, and the test is now sitting on their badges. Thirteen thousand drivers checked, and 2,500 notices, is already a labour story before anyone talks about language politics.
The three-day strike is the bargaining chip. The notices are the state's. Fadnavis offering more time on day one tells you the government wants the rule to stand and the roads to fill back up.
The strike was due to run through Wednesday. Watch whether Fadnavis's extra time is written down, or only said, and whether the September 30 drive keeps issuing notices while talks run.