Banners put up by councillors at Thornhill memorial removed

: Seemingly unaware of the glorious history of the memorial of the then Chief Magistrate, G. Thornhill here, a group of councillors had sought permission from the authorities to erect flex banners in its premises last week.

The councillors, who wanted to extend birthday greetings to Excise and BC Welfare Minister Kollu Ravindra, felt this was the most suitable place to put up the banners.

Municipal Commissioner M. Jaswanth Rao accordingly granted them permission. “We have been directed to remove the flex banners as no councillor took the responsibility of removing them,” said an official on Monday. Municipal workers removed the banners that were blocking the view of the memorial visible.

In 1860s, locals erected the memorial in recognition of Thornhill’s services post the 1864 cyclone and later the memorial area came to be known as ‘Koneru Centre.’

Responding to requests by the locals and members of the Bandar Bandhuvulu (BB), a social networking group, the municipal authorities have been strictly restricting display or erecting of any banners at the historical sites, including Koneru Centre, in the town.

The BB members recently removed several flex banners at the memorial, highlighting the importance of conservation of the heritage sites and places.