Goa: Ponda’s ‘airport road’ to be named after Sri Aurobindo

PONDA: Following a suggestion from the Centre, a special meeting of the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has resolved to name the town’s widest road after freedom fighter, philosopher and maharishi Sri Aurobindo Ghose. Though the 30m-wide Ponda budhwarpeth market approach road is used by few commuters, it the stretch where seasonal bazaars are held.
PMC chairperson Ritesh Naik said though Ghose had no any role in Goa, they took the resolution following a suggestion from the Centre to name a street after him to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary.
Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872. He was an Indian philosopher, yoga and spiritual guru and protagonist of naturalism.
Considering its width, locals used to call the street as ‘airport road’ as it is similar to an airport runway. Interestingly, The Ponda municipality had also referred to this stretch as airport road when it had shifted the matoli bazar to this approach road a couple of years ago.
Naik said that since there is no any airport in Ponda, it was absurd to refer to it as an airport road. The road was constructed during the tenure of Naik’s father, Ravi when he was a minister in the state cabinet.
The road is the widest in entire Ponda town. It connects the Ponda supermarket complex to the vegetable market and Shantinagar area of the town.
On the waste collection in the town, Naik said the tender will be extended for another year.
“PMC has also resolved to extend the door-to-door garbage collection tender for another year. The current contract ends on September 30. We will be sending both the resolutions to the directorate of municipal administration for approval,” Naik said.
Considering its width, locals used to call the street as ‘airport road’ as it is similar to an airport runway. PMC chairperson Ritesh Naik said though Sri Aurobindo had no any role in Goa, they took the resolution following a suggestion from the Centre to name a street after him to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary