Thane: A man shows a sticker after the Maharashtra government plans to make Marathi language mandatory for autorickshaw and taxi drivers, in Thane. (PTI photo)

Mumbai: Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Monday put on hold the decision to cancel licenses and permits of auto and taxi drivers from May 1 for non-compliance with the Marathi language requirement, instead opting for a phased campaign on awareness, verification and training. The Mumbai Autorickshawmen Union withdrew its May 4 protest after discussion.The government will conduct a survey in 59 RTOs from May 1 to August 15 to find out how many drivers are Marathi speaking and how many are not. Through this exercise, irregularities related to fake licenses, fake badges and permits will also be detected.Non-Marathi speaking drivers will be directed to training centers and offered tuition to gain practical proficiency. “After giving them a fair chance, we will strictly enforce the law,” Sarnaik said.The Transport Ministry has withdrawn its earlier decision to introduce a reading and writing test in Marathi and will instead create a short curriculum focused on practical use.