MUMBAI, April 7 -- Permits and domicile certificates of over 12,000 registered auto and taxi drivers operating in Mira Road and Bhayandar are being scrutinised by RTO in batches to ascertain their authenticity; and to ensure absolute certainty they are also being asked to take a test of Marathi to prove fluency in the language. On Monday, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said the action was triggered by a recent complaint from Mira-Bhayandar-based BJP MLA, Narendra Mehta, who had raised concerns with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis about large-scale irregularities in issuing licences, badges and permits, claiming they were being hastily doled out to fresh migrants in Mira-Bhayandar. There are 280,000 permit holders of auto rickshaws and 20,000 of taxis in Mumbai and its suburbs. The permit holders employ almost 500,000 drivers in multiple shifts. In MMR the number goes up to 400,000. The drive in the twin suburbs will continue until May 1 - Maharashtra Day - when the RTO is expected to submit its report. The findings of what is considered a pilot project are expected to shape similar drives across the state. The drive combines verification of the drivers' documents, which includes domicile certificates (gained after being a resident of the state for 15 years), with the crucial language test to prove fluency in both spoken and written Marathi. Those who fail either test risk suspension of their licences and permits. At the licensing authority (RTO), drivers will be asked to write a few paragraphs in the language, a requirement rooted in Rule number 24 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, which was amended in November 2019, making the rule water-tight. While earlier, a simple certificate from a Marathi language expert would suffice, the amendment mandated that drivers demonstrate their skills directly. "The drive has been initiated after MLA Narendra Mehta complained to the CM about illegal licences, badges and permits being issued in big numbers in the city. In addition to the verification of the documents, we have asked the drivers to appear for a Marathi test as well. Once the report is submitted on Maharashtra Day, it will be extended across the state," said Sarnaik. Mehta's complaint is backed by a "troubling pattern" said an official from the transport department, as local representatives have pointed to migrants obtaining badges almost immediately after arriving in Maharashtra, bypassing the mandatory 15-year domicile requirement. In some cases, as many as 25 to 30 permits were allegedly issued under a single address-an anomaly that raised red flags. Many of these licence holders, reportedly in their early 20s, had recently moved from other states. The government's move caught the authorities off-guard. By rule, domicile certificates should not share identical addresses across multiple applicants. Yet when questioned, local transport officials often shifted responsibility to other departments, tehsildars, rationing offices, creating a loop of accountability that stalled enforcement, said an official from the transport department. The new language test, her said, is meant to break that loop, enabling immediate, on-the-spot action without relying on inter-departmental verification. Complaints of skirmishes between passengers and drivers, who are unable to converse fluently in the local language, have been reported in the past in parts of the city. Auto and taxi unions are, however, taken aback by Sarnaik's move, as at least 70% of the permit holders hail from north India. Questioning Sarnaik's insistence about the knowledge of Marathi language, which is already established in the rule book, Thampi Kurien auto and taxi union leader said, "Under the sections of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, there are provisions where drivers with public driving badges need to know the local language. Also these drivers undergo interactive tests at RTOs where officers ask questions in the state language." Shashank Rao, president of Autorickshaw Driver Association, said they will oppose the drive. "The rule says that drivers have knowledge of language. Very limited knowledge of Marathi is needed between passengers and drivers. We are not against action for forged documents submitted for the licences and badges, but the imposition of Marathi will lead to harassment and corruption," he said....