Protection of public property is constitutional responsibility: CJ

Thrissur, Kerala, Nov 1 : The Kerala High Court Chief Justice Bannur Madom today said protection of public property was the Constitutional responsibility of every citizen and should be integral part of patriotism.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion of Kerala Formation Day, Chief Justice Madom said, ''It is high time to realise that all the citizens of the country are duty bound to protect public property and abjure violence.

''It is also high time for us to realise that forests, roads, seas, rivers and ponds and other public property are our assets and any distraction caused to them is distraction and damage to our own personal property.'' He was speaking after inaugurating a state-level conference regarding public property protection day organised by KELSA.

While a hue and cry was raised by citizens on protecting fundamental rights, seldom any attention was given to the fact any right correspondingly had an obligatory duty, he lamented.

Chief Justice Madom said vandalism of public property could not stopped by mere police action, which, many a time, attracted complaints from human rights activists.

While there were various laws to protect public property, the intellectuals hardly gave any importance to the obligatory duty to protect them, he claimed.

Justice Kurian Joseph of the Kerala High Court and Executive Chairman KELSA presided.

Revenue Minister K P Rajendran delivered the keynote address.

Opposition Leader Oomen Chandy, MLA Therambil Ramakrishnan and Mayor R Bindu were among those present.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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