Mumbai auto drivers block road, begin 3-day strike over Marathi rule
Autorickshaw and taxi drivers in Mumbai are staging a three-day strike to protest a new mandate requiring them to speak Marathi. Drivers argue the rule is unfair to older, uneducated workers and imposes an undue financial burden through fines.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between regional language policies and the economic realities of the migrant-heavy transport workforce in major Indian cities.
MUMBAI: A section of autorickshaw drivers in Mumbai on Monday staged protests and began a three-day strike against the Marathi language requirement for auto-rickshaw, taxi and cab drivers, with non-Marathi-speaking drivers saying the directive would put an additional financial burden on them.Drivers staged a roadblock on Kandivli Link Road, opposing what they described as a mandatory requirement to know Marathi. Protesters said many older drivers had little or no formal education and were struggling to meet the language requirement.“We are 55-60-year-olds. We have never been to a school. How can we speak Marathi?
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