Mumbai: The concession identity cards issued by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to senior citizens and women display all details exclusively in English, causing major inconvenience to rural residents and the elderly. MSRTC officials have also confirmed receiving numerous complaints from commuters across the state regarding this issue. Considering the gravity of this issue, ‘Surajya Abhiyan’ submitted an official representation to the Hon’ble Vice Chairman and Managing Director of MSRTC, demanding that all concession smart cards be made bilingual (Marathi and English). Promptly taking note of the representation, the Managing Director directed the concerned officials to initiate immediate and appropriate corrective action on this matter.
Commenting on the issue, Mr. Abhishek Murukate, Maharashtra State Coordinator of ‘Surajya Abhiyan’, stated, “As per the Maharashtra Official Language Rules, the use of Marathi in state government administration is mandatory. Furthermore, the Union Government has officially accorded ‘Classical Language’ status to Marathi. Honoring this historic recognition and addressing commuter hardships, it is essential that MSRTC smart cards be rendered bilingual. This will ease travel for local citizens while upholding the dignity of the official state language.”
Expressing satisfaction over the positive administrative response, Surajya Abhiyan expects swift implementation of this directive.
Key Demands Outlined in the Representation:
-
All MSRTC concession identity cards must have passenger names, card details, and guidelines printed in a bilingual format (Marathi & English).
-
Necessary technical modifications must be made to the software system to prioritize Devanagari (Marathi) script formatting.
