New Delhi has already begun preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. For starters, it wants to train its cabbies in English. Delhi is taking a leaf out of China's book. As of now, China is teaching English to 10 million people in preparation of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. According to a TOI report, Delhi cabbies will have to learn English now to communicate with foreign visitors.

Starting July, the Delhi Transport department will launch a special program that will teach conversational English to taxi drivers. All cab and rickshaw drivers will need to take these compulsory English classes and will have build a 2000-word vocabulary after four years of training. The department will open special centres that will provide audio-visual aids to drivers to learn the language. Also, drivers will be given audio tapes which they can listen to when waiting for passengers.

According to TOI, the transport department will set annual targets. In the first year, a driver will learn 20 per cent of the words. He would also be able to respond to simple sentences such as, ‘‘Where can I get a tourist map of the city?’’ Then, by the second year, he will learn 35 per cent of the words and by the third year, he will have command over 50 per cent of the words.

By the end of the programme, the driver should be able to give directions in English, take passengers to restaurants of their choice, and talk about cricket and flea markets.

The paper quoted transport commissioner V S Madan as saying, "'The program is aimed at the cabbie or an auto (rickshaw) driver because he is the first person a passenger interacts with on arrival in the city,' Madan said."That's why we want drivers to converse properly and not in sign language." He further added that drivers must pass a language proficiency exam each year, together with their vehicle roadworthiness test.