2011-2012 New Employee Vehicle Registration Form - University Of: Fill & Download for Free

Original question:What is the goal of Trump's voter fraud task force?The presidential election integrity commission was established by executive order in May to investigate Trump’s claims of rampant voter fraud. As this item starts to occupy more and more headlines - I find it all very confusing, what is the goal and are they going about it the right way?The main goals, based on the past and present behavior and actions of Trump, seem to be:Voter intimidation.Voter suppression & voter restriction.Disenfranchising Voters.To ice his bruised ego (he lost the popular vote).Examples that back up the above goals I listed:Intimidation:Trump asked his base to be “election observers”: [1]Go down to certain areas and watch and study and make sure other people don’t come in and vote five times……The only way they can beat it in my opinion, and I mean this 100 percent, is if in certain sections of the state they cheat, okay? So I hope you people can sort of not just vote on the 8th — go around and look and watch other polling places and make sure that it’s 100 percent fine.Trump’s campaign website also added a “sign up” page for “election observers”:Appeal to motive in the below tweet:Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2017Voter Suppression & Restriction: [2]Voter purges:The letter doesn’t ask whether states are complying with the parts of the law that expand opportunities to register. Instead it focuses on the sections related to maintaining the lists. That’s a prelude to voter purging.Usually the Justice Department would ask only a single state for data if it had evidence the state wasn’t complying with Motor-Voter. But a blanket request to every state covered under that law is virtually unprecedented...These parallel efforts show us exactly how the Trump administration will undertake its enormous voter suppression campaign: through voter purges. The voter rolls are the key. Registration is one of the main gateways to political participation. It is the difference between a small base of voters pursuing a narrow agenda and an electorate that looks like America.Will affect minority voters disproportionately:Here’s how the government will use voters’ data. It will create a national database to try to find things like double-voters. But the commission won’t be able to tell two people with the same name and birthday apart. Such errors will hit communities of color the hardest. Census data shows that minorities are overrepresented in 85 of the 100 most common last names.Purging voters is part of a larger malicious pattern that states have employed across the country. Georgia and Ohio are being sued for carrying out early versions of what we can expect from the Trump administration.Disenfranchising Voters: [3]The Voter Commission’s data request resulted in some people withdrawing their voter registration:Three thousand, three hundred and ninety-four Coloradans have withdrawn their voter registrations as of July 13, following the Trump administration’s request for voter data as part of the Commission on Election Integrity. An additional 182 citizens in the state have filed as confidential voters.Several other states have reported a similar uptick in citizens moving to keep their information out of the federal government’s hands.Bruised Ego:Trump cannot accept that he lost the popular vote:In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016Quick look at “voter fraud” claims: [4]The 1960 presidential election:…reports of deceased and other unregistered voters in largely African American districts in Illinois or cases of malfeasance throughout Texas were believed to have rigged John F. Kennedy’s victory over Richard Nixon.Former Attorney General John Ashcroft:Formed the “Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative” under George W. Bush’s presidencyDespite his coordination of the U.S. attorney offices with local election officials, only 24 people were convicted of improper or illegal voting and 14 non-citizens were found to be illegally voting in federal elections between 2002 and 2005.Claims of Voter Fraud in New Jersey:There were reports in 2004 that 4,755 deceased voters cast ballots in New Jersey. After careful comparison between voter rolls and death records, there were no official accounts of voter fraud.Claims of voter fraud in New York:In New York in both 2002 and 2004, 2,600 deceased voters allegedly voted, only to be removed from the register after an investigation revealed clerical errors and not malfeasance.Paranoia over “voter fraud” leads to voter suppression.North Carolina:Supreme Court rejected an appeal to reinstate North Carolina’s stringent voter identification laws that were found to discriminate against African Americans “with almost surgical precision.”Within days following this ruling, the court also found that two of North Carolina’s congressional redistricting maps resulted from unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. The decision—even supported by the more conservative Justice Clarence Thomas—found that African Americans were unfairly packed in two concentrated black districts, thereby minimizing their political influence in major elections.Wisconsin:Wisconsin’s efforts mirrored those in North Carolina where advocates purported that nearly 300,000 people lacked the proper ID to participate in the 2016 presidential election, even after parts of the state’s law were deemed unconstitutional upon appeal.Florida:In Florida, 1.5 million people were disenfranchised by a law that disqualifies ex-felons from voting, resulting in one in every four African American residents unable to vote in 2016.The 10 members in Trump’s “Commission on Election Integrity”:The above chart is based on information from a Washington Post article. [5]Mike Pence said that the “Commission on Election Integrity” will: [6]…Initiate a full evaluation of voting rolls in the country and the overall integrity of our voting system in the wake of this past election.Closer look into Kris Kobach:On November 9th, 2016, Kobach emailed a Trump transition team member about amending the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA): [7] [8]Kobach wants to amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Passed in 1993, the NVRA aims to increase voter registration: Its provisions include requiring that motor vehicle and public assistance agencies provide voter registration opportunities, and allows for registration by mail.“Interstate Crosscheck System”: [9]The “Interstate Crosscheck System” is faulty at stopping voter fraud and is conducted by Kansas election authorities:States participating in the program, known as the Interstate Crosscheck System, send their voter registration files to Kansas…Each participating state receives back a list of their voter registrations that match the first name, last name and date of birth of a voter in another state. Crosscheck provides some guidelines for purging voter registrations from the rolls.The “Interstate Crosscheck Program” is inherently flawed:In theory, the program is supposed to detect possible cases of people voting in multiple locations. But academics and states that use the program have found that its results are overrun with false positives, creating a high risk of disenfranchising legal voters…For every one illegitimate vote, “Interstate Crosscheck Program” would eliminate 200 legitimate votes:A statistical analysis of the program published earlier this year by researchers at Stanford, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Microsoft, for instance, found that Crosscheck “would eliminate about 200 registrations used to cast legitimate votes for every one registration used to cast a double vote.”Why the “Interstate Crosscheck Program” gets it so wrong:Factors for “matches” - birthdays and names:Crosscheck bases its “matches” primarily on just two factors: people's first and last names and their birth date. But in a country of 139 million voters, you're guaranteed to have tens of thousands of individuals who share both names and birthdays.For instance, in a 2007 paper, elections experts Michael McDonald and Justin Levitt examined voter files from New Jersey's 2014 elections. In those elections, the most common names — William Smith, Maria Rodriguez, etc. — showed up hundreds of times, reflecting their prevalence in the general population.Shared birthdays are even more common — statistically speaking if you have a group of just 23 people, there's a greater than 50 percent chance that at least two of them will share the same birthday.At 180 people, according to McDonald and Levitt, there's a 50 percent chance that two of them will share the same birth date — month, day and year.So if you have 282 William Smiths, as in New Jersey's voter rolls in 2004, you'd expect four of them to share the exact same birthday. Those four William Smiths would be flagged as potentially fraudulent voters by Kobach's Crosscheck system.Disorganized Voter files:…Voter files are notoriously messy and often incomplete. Among the 3.6 million New Jersey voters McDonnell and Levitt analyzed, for instance, nearly 1 million were missing a birth date completely. Ten thousand were listed with a birth date of Jan. 1, 1753, and another 20,000 listed as Jan. 1, 1800 — likely placeholder values that were never updated.Multiply those figures up to the national level, and you can see how a system that naively matches names and birth dates is going to return a lot of noise — and very, very little in the way of people actually trying to game the voting system.There's no question that incomplete voter data is a problem. But comparing incomplete data sets against each other isn't likely to solve that problem.Data on someone registering and voting in two states:Boiling it all down, out of the 240,000 paired registrations that Crosscheck sent to Iowa, there were only six cases where it appeared that the same person registered and voted in two different states.In other words, well over 99 percent of the 'matches' sent to Iowa were unlikely to have anything to do with even attempted voter fraud.Incidentally, that's in line with Kobach's prosecution record on Crosscheck cases: a grand total of nine successful convictions so far, “mostly older Republican males,” according to local media reports.Crosscheck’s “User Guide”:…Crosscheck's user guide recommends purging older voter registrations when the name and partial Social Security number match the name and SSN of a more recent registration.…Harvard, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania and Microsoft team estimate that following this guideline would result in 200 deletions of legitimate voter registrations for each real-world case of double voting it prevented.Kobach loves the “Interstate Crosscheck Program” and wants to take it to a national level - that’s concerning:Kobach's championing of Crosscheck is one reason many voting rights advocates are concerned that President Trump's voter fraud commission may be a vehicle for recommending mass voter purges……In his opening remarks before the election commission he said the Crosscheck program “illustrates how a successful multi-state effort can be in enhancing the integrity of our elections and in keeping our voter rolls accurate. I'm confident that this commission will be equally successful on the national level.”…If the system is primarily a vehicle for false positives, why bother using it at all?…the naming of Kobach to President Trump's voter fraud commission ensures that Crosscheck will continue to have a role in the spotlight this year. And if the Republican Party has its way, Crosscheck will expand — the 2016 GOP party platform called for “every state to join the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program to keep voter rolls accurate and to prevent people from voting in more than one state in the same election.”Kris Kobach sent a letter to all 50 states (June 28th, 2016), requesting information on voters: [10]This letter asked for: [11]The information requested includes the names, addresses, birthdates, political party (if recorded), last four digits of the voter's Social Security Number and which elections the voter has participated in since 2006, for every registered voter in the country.It would seem that Kobach desires to use “Interstate Crosscheck System” on all the information sent in regarding the information he requested.The ACLU said this about the request from Kobach:As a part of Donald Trump’s Election Integrity Commission, Kris Kobach sent letters across the country, asking state representatives for details on every registered voter in the country. This is an unprecedented government request for information on American voters, including names, addresses, birthdates, political affiliation, last four digits of Social Security numbers, and voting history.Here is a chart from the ACLU regarding where each state stands on these requests:After Kobach’s letter, there are currently seven federal lawsuits that have been filed in July (2017) against Trump’s “Commission on Election Integrity”: [12]The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on July 18th, 2017. The lawsuit alleged that the “Commission on Election Integrity”: [13]“was formed with the intent to discriminate against voters of color in violation of the Constitution…to reaffirm President Trump’s false allegations of millions of ‘illegal’ votesto provide a basis for actions that will target African-American and Latino voters…rather than objectively analyze an issue of national significance.”It went on further, saying:“Statements by President Trump, his spokespersons and surrogates…as well as the work of the Commission as described by its co-chairs, are grounded on the false premise that Black and Latino voters are more likely to perpetrate voter fraud…”The suit points to the below evidence:Trump’s repeated lies that “millions of illegals” voted in the electionPence repeating Trump’s claim/defending it [14]Kobach repeating Trump’s claim: [15]“I think the president-elect is absolutely correct when he says the number of illegal votes cast exceeds the popular vote margin between him and Hillary Clinton at this point.”Hans von Spakovsky’s ties to the “Public Interest Legal Foundation”The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a lawsuit against the Commission on July 3, 2017, alleging that: [16]“the Commission’s demand for detailed voter histories also violates millions of Americans’ constitutional right to privacy.”The “Commission on Election Integrity” asked states to stop sending voter information until this lawsuit was resolved [17]The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on July 10th, 2017, alleging that the Commission was not following proper transparency laws: [18]The lawsuit charges the commission with failing to comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which is designed to ensure public accountability of all advisory committees.The ACLU said that the Commission was not making any of the topics discussed available to the publicThree days later, the White House had a page added to its website which contained some documents regarding the meetings [19]The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit similar to the ACLU’s on July 10th, 2017, citing the Commission’s failure to comply with transparency laws [20]The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law also filed a Hatch Act Complaint against Kobach, saying that he improperly used his role on the Commission to promote his upcoming run for Governor in Kansas [21]The Florida ACLU filed a lawsuit on July 10th, 2017 (separate from the other ACLU lawsuit) against the Commission, alleging that the collection efforts were: [22]“…an unjustified invasion of privacy not authorized under the Constitution and laws of the United States or the individual states.”Public Citizen filed a lawsuit on July 10, 2017, similar to the lawsuit from ACLU Florida, alleging that the Commission: [23]“collection and dissemination of [voter] information violates the Privacy Act, which prohibits the collection, use, maintenance or distribution of any ‘record describing how any individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.’ ”Public Citizen is requesting a temporary restraining order on the Commission’s request regarding voter informationCommon Cause also filed a lawsuit regarding Privacy Act violations on July 14, 2017, against the Commission: [24]“Common Cause asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to order the commission, [the Department of Homeland Security], and [the Social Security Administration] to stop seeking and using the voter history and party affiliation of voters, and return any such data it has already obtained from any state.”How Kobach’s request could be unconstitutional: [25]Kobach’s goal seems to be collecting personal information on people to put in a national voter file [26]The files would collect information not limited to:NameAddressPolitical party affiliationVoting HistorySome states include even more information: [27]Date of birthTelephone numbersEmail addressesInformation about minors (some states “pre-register” minors so that they can automatically vote when they turn 18)“Publicly Available” is not a cut and dry definition: [28]In some states, voter files are widely accessible, but not to everyoneSome states restrict “why” one can have access to voter filesFor example, Texas prohibits access to voter information used for commercial profitsVoter information is sometimes limited to: [29]Political partiesCandidatesNonprofitsAny state that have these types of restrictions are automatically breaking their own laws by sending information to back to KobachNo one knows what the Commission’s security protocols will be (or if they even have any)Asking for this information via email is suspectMakes it appear that the Commission has no security protocolsAnd/or doesn’t care about securityNo one knows exactly what the Commission will do with the infoWhat laws could this data request be breaking? Here are some of them: [30]The Privacy Act:We’ve long had privacy and security concerns about government recordkeeping in this country. Back in 1974, Congress passed the Privacy Act, regulating how federal government entities keep records. There are a number of substantive requirements for a body like the Kobach commission. Those actually include specific limits on data that Kobach has asked for, like voting history and party affiliation.The Paperwork Reduction Law:The Paperwork Reduction Act, a law with a longstanding pedigree (if an uninspiring name), governs agencies that want to issue potentially burdensome information requests. The statute covers requests that are mandatory or voluntary, aimed at individuals or organizations. The guiding idea behind the PRA is simple: before the federal government enlists individuals, companies, organizations, or state governments into potentially burdensome fact-finding, it should have a good justification and a well thought out plan.Procedural requirements found within the PRA:PRA requires federal agencies to satisfy procedural requirements designed to ensure a deliberative approach informed by the people who will feel the effects of federal action. Much of it is basic stuff. Before sending out an information request to more than ten people, a federal agency must articulate a justification for doing so. It must weigh any potential benefits to the government against the burdens that its requests will impose on recipients. It must have a plan for conducting the request and managing the information it receives. Perhaps most importantly, it must engage the public through two rounds of detailed public notification, coupled with opportunities for the public to weigh in. Only then may the agency seek final approval from the White House’s budget office, which oversees compliance with the PRA, to go forward.The election commission didn’t do any of those things. It simply ignored the statute’s requirements. In other words, its request to every Secretary of State in the country violated federal law.…In other words, the Commission’s failure to adhere to the PRA isn’t a matter of mere technical non-compliance; it flouted a legal framework whose provisions would have offered a safeguard against a misguided, and potentially quite harmful, national fishing expedition for voter data.…For state officials on the fence about whether to provide the data, the PRA should weigh significantly in their decisions. The Kobach letter was, after all, an unlawful request. State officials should pause long and hard before turning over such sensitive data – data that is foundational to the democratic process…And on top of all of that, the letter from Kobach also creates a major target for hackers: [31]Digital security experts say the commission’s request would centralize and lay bare a valuable cache of information that cyber criminals could use for identity theft scams — or that foreign spies could leverage for disinformation schemes.Quick facts on voter fraud:Justin Levitt, Loyola Law School professor, found: [32]2000 - 2014 = 35 cases of voter impersonation out of ~800 million ballots that were cast in primary, municipal, special, and other elections.News21 journalism looked into voter impersonation as well as people voting twice, vote buying, absentee fraud, etc from 2000 - 2012. [33]For voter impersonation: 10For other alleged fraud cases: 2,068~50% of those votes ended with acquittals or charges being droppedThe State Board of Elections in North Carolina found: [34]1 case of voter fraud out of 4.8 million votes in the 2016 General ElectionThere were 500 ineligible votesAlmost all of those 500 were people voting who genuinely thought they couldIn 2007, the NYT found that there were: [35]86 convictions of voter fraud from 2002–2007Quick background on voter ID laws (hint, its voter suppression): [36]Voter ID laws disproportionately affect minorities:These laws have a disproportionate effect on minorities, which is exactly what you would expect given that members of racial and ethnic minorities are less apt to have valid photo ID.States that do have strict voter ID laws tend to vote more conservative:Because minority voters tend to be Democrats, strict voter ID laws tilt the primary electorate dramatically.All else equal, when strict ID laws are instituted, the turnout gap between Republicans and Democrats in primary contests more than doubles from 4.3 points to 9.8 points.Likewise, the turnout gap between conservative and liberal voters more than doubles from 7.7 to 20.4 points.States that pass strict Voter ID laws tend to have GOP legislatures:By instituting strict voter ID laws, states can alter the electorate and shift outcomes toward those on the right:Where these laws are enacted, the influence of Democrats and liberals wanes and the power of Republicans grows.Strict ID laws are passed almost exclusively by Republican legislatures.Quick look at what States have Voter ID laws: [37]Some states seem energized by Trump’s voter fraud conspiracies, many pushing for more Voter ID laws in 2017:At least 99 bills to restrict access to the polls have been introduced (or have been carried over from previous sessions) in 31 states this year; that's already more than double the number last year, according to data compiled by the Brennan Center.Voter ID — requiring voters to prove who they are with identifying documents — is the most common requirement, but changes to the voter registration process, such as asking people to prove their U.S. citizenship, are a close second.Why obtaining a government issued ID tends to be more challenging for minority demographics, collectively as well as some of the reasons that these laws are discriminatory: [38]Cost:Obtaining ID Costs Money.Even if ID is offered for free, voters must incur numerous costs (such as paying for birth certificates) to apply for a government-issued ID.Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money, a significant expense for lower-income Americans. The combined cost of document fees, travel expenses and waiting time are estimated to range from $75 to $175.Travel:The travel required is often a major burden on people with disabilities, the elderly, or those in rural areas without access to a car or public transportation.In Texas, some people in rural areas must travel approximately 170 miles to reach the nearest ID office.Voter ID laws are discriminatory:Minority voters disproportionately lack ID.Nationally, up to 25% of African-American citizens of voting age lack government-issued photo ID, compared to only 8% of whites.Some Voter ID laws exclude forms of ID in a discriminatory way:Texas:allows concealed weapons permits for voting, but does not accept student ID cards.North Carolina:Until its voter ID law was struck down, North Carolina prohibited public assistance IDs and state employee ID cards, which are disproportionately held by Black voters.Wisconsin:Until recently, Wisconsin permitted active duty military ID cards, but prohibited Veterans Affairs ID cards for voting.Enforcement of Voter ID laws shows a trend of discriminatory behavior:A Caltech/MIT study found that minority voters are more frequently questioned about ID than are white voters.Voter ID laws reduces the turnout of minority voters:Several studies, including a 2014 GAO study, have found that photo ID laws have a particularly depressive effect on turnout among racial minorities and other vulnerable groups, worsening the participation gap between voters of color and whites.The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a right wing group that is funded by corporations like Exxon Mobile and the Koch brothers, is the culprit behind most of the voter ID laws: [39]Lawmakers proposed 62 photo ID bills in 37 states in the 2011 and 2012 sessions, with multiple bills introduced in some states.Ten states have passed strict photo ID laws since 2008, though several may not be in effect in November because of legal challenges.…More than half of the 62 bills were sponsored by members or conference attendees of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a Washington, D.C.-based, tax-exempt organization.At ALEC’s annual conferences, legislators, nonprofits and corporations work together without direct public input to develop bills that promote smaller government…The group’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force at the 2009 Atlanta meeting approved the “Voter ID Act,” a photo ID bill modeled on Indiana and Georgia laws.…Arkansas state Rep. Dan Greenberg, Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce and Indiana state Rep. Bill Ruppel (three Republicans now out of office) led drafting and discussion of the Voter ID Act.Critics of photo voter ID laws…say voters without a driver’s license or the means (a birth certificate or Social Security card) to obtain free ID cards at a state motor vehicles office could be disenfranchised.They claim that ALEC pushed for photo ID laws because poor Americans without ID are likely to vote against conservative interestsThe White House asked for feedback on the “Election Integrity Commission” on the White House website, which didn’t go so well. For example: [40]There was a lot of swearing:People called out Kobach and Pence specifically:Others questioned the integrity of the Commission:There were comparisons to Big Brother:Others demanded that the commissioners explain themselves:And my personal favorite:So, in conclusion, Trump’s “Commission on Election Integrity” is a waste of taxpayer money. The goal of the Commission is to create a “solution” that is looking for problems that don’t exist as well as creating problems.Are they going about it the right way? No.The premise of this Commission is based on lies.How the Commission is going about collecting the information based on a false premise is wrong.The data the Commission is wanting is likely a violation of privacy laws.Footnotes[1] Trump Asks Supporters to Prevent ‘Rigged’ Election by Becoming ‘Observers’[2] Opinion | The Voter Purges Are Coming[3] Some voters unregistering after Trump administration's data requests[4] Trump’s election integrity commission needs to redress voter suppression, not fraud[5] Analysis | Here are the first 10 members of Trump’s voting commission[6] Trump's election commission meets as critics condemn president's 'biggest lie'[7] Kris Kobach Email [8] This Trump administration official wants to make it more difficult to vote[9] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/20/this-anti-voter-fraud-program-gets-it-wrong-over-99-of-the-time-the-gop-wants-to-take-it-nationwide/?utm_term=.b08bbbc38661[10] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3881818/SOS-Letter.pdf[11] Election Integrity Commission - State Responses[12] Trump’s voter commission is now facing at least 7 federal lawsuits[13] http://www.naacpldf.org/files/about-us/EIC%20Complaint.pdf[14] Watch Mike Pence try to defend Trump’s false claim that ‘millions’ voted illegally[15] Kris Kobach agrees with Donald Trump that ‘millions’ voted illegally but offers no evidence[16] EPIC v. Presidential Election Commission[17] https://epic.org/privacy/litigation/voter/epic-v-commission/EPIC-v-Commission-government-filing-on-DOD-database.pdf[18] American Civil Liberties Union v. Donald Trump[19] Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity[20] Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Files Lawsuit To Halt Commission Hearing for Failure to Comply With Federal Law | Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law[21] Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Files Hatch Act Complaint Against Kris Kobach | Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law[22] https://www.aclufl.org/2017/07/10/coalition-of-voting-rights-leaders-and-florida-voters-sue-presidential-commission-over-request-for-voter-information/[23] https://www.citizen.org/media/press-releases/public-citizen-sues-trump-administration-prevent-government’s-collection-voter[24] http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/PenceKobachLawsuit.html?referrer=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/18/trumps-voter-fraud-commission-is-now-facing-at-least-7-federal-lawsuits/?utm_term=.696f889ac706?referrer=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/18/trumps-voter-commission-facing-several-federal-lawsuits/[25] All Your Voter Data Are Belong To Us | Take Care[26] http://www.ncsl.org/Documents/Elections/The_Canvass_February_2016_66.pdf[27] Full List Facts and Info - Voter List Information[28] States - Voter List Information[29] ELECTION CODE CHAPTER 18. PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFYING REGISTERED VOTERS[30] President Trump’s Election Commission Has Already Violated Federal Law | Take Care[31] Trump voter-fraud panel’s data request a gold mine for hackers, experts warn[32] Voter Turnout Data - United States Elections Project[33] A News21 2012 National Project[34] https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/sboe/Post-Election%20Audit%20Report_2016%20General%20Election/Post-Election_Audit_Report.pdf[35] In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud[36] Analysis | Do voter identification laws suppress minority voting? Yes. We did the research.[37] States push new voter requirements, fueled by Trump[38] Oppose Voter ID Legislation - Fact Sheet[39] Oppose Voter ID Legislation - Fact Sheet[40] https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/docs/comments-received-june-29-through-july-11-2017.pdf

I would list only 75 reasons why Bengalis believe is Mamata Banerjee:1. State's Tax Collection has doubled2. State's Capital Expenditure (Asset Creating) has become six fold3. State's Agriculture and Rural Development Expenditure has become five and a half times4. State's Physical Infrastructure Expenditure has more than trebled5. State's Plan Expenditure has become more than three fold6. State's Social Infrastructure Expenditure has trebled7. Loans for the MSME sector: Since May 2011, loans worth Rs 91,572 crore have been disbursed to entrepreneurs from the MSME Sector. West Bengal has disbursed the highest amount of loans to the MSME sector in the country.8. Skill Development: Creating employment opportunities in various sectors has been accorded special emphasis and in 2014-15, 15,000 candidates were provided employment opportunities. Till 2014-15, 7,000 trained women entrepreneurs have been developed, including 1700 ST female candidates in rural areas. The WB State Council of Technicaland Vocational Education and Skill Development Act, 2013 has been passed and WB Skill Development Mission formed. In 2014, West Bengal was adjudged as the Best State in All India Skill Development Competition 2013.9. 100 Days of Employment: Around Rs 4000 crore has been spent under the 100 Days of Employment scheme during 2014-15, which remains the highest in India. Until now, Rs 17,500 crore has been spent in creating rural assets under this scheme.10. Huge success in agriculture: Bengal has received the KrishiKarmana Award for four years consecutively, which is yet an unbroken record in India.11. Scholarships for minorities: Around 8.4 million students from minority communities have received scholarships worth Rs 1,500 Crore, which is the highest in the country. Around 2.3 million scholarships will be given by May 2016.12. Asset creation for minorities: The Centre has allocated Rs 2025 crore to be invested in various projects under MSDP and IMDP. So far, this amount is the highest in the country.13. Surpassing all previous records, since May 2011, the State Government has been able to generate employment of 67.35 lakh until December 2015. In addition, 98.3 croremandays have also been generated under other different employment schemes.14. Peace prevails in Maoist-affected areas: Strict administrative intervention and policies directed at holistic development have brought back peace and ensured development in the Jungle Mahal areas. This is a phenomenon of national importance.15. Innumerable job opportunities: The State Government received a total investment proposal of Rs 2,40,000crore in the recently concluded Bengal Global Business Summit 2016. This will lead to job creation for 1 crore people in the next three years. Huge investments have been proposed in countless sectors, such as Construction, Heavy Industries, MSME, Ports, Mines, Health and Education, Energy and Natural Resources, Transportation and Tourism, Food Manufacturing, Financial Services, Fishery, Animal Conservation and Information Technology.16. Strikes have been eradicated: Strikes, or Bandhs, as they are called, have been eradicated in the last four years. This has effectively improved work culture, creating a conducive atmosphere for industries to function.17. Kanyashree: More than 31 lakh girls have been brought under the Kanyashree Scheme. At the International Girls' Summit organised in London, both DFID and UNICEF recognisedthe excellence of this effort. The scheme has won the Manthan Award for e-Governance in Asia Pacific and South Asia and was awarded the National Silver Medal in 2014-15.18. SabujSathi: The scheme for providing bi-cycles to all school going students of class IX to XII has been launched to ensure better access to school. Around 40 lakh students are being covered under this scheme.19. Swasthya Suraksha: Around 6.1 lakh families have been enrolled under RSBY on health insurance, which is the highest in the country. Benefits of Rs 780 crore have been extended to 12 lakh 50 thousand patients in four years, which has been appreciated by the World Bank and German Cooperation.20. Mati Tirtha and Krishi Tirtha:MatiTirtha and KrishiTirtha, both of which are in Burdwan, have been internationally recognised by Food and Agricultural Organisation. 2121. Nirmal Bangla: The Nirmal Bangla Abhiyan turned Nadia into India's first ODF district. The achievement has been recognised by the United Nations with a Public Service Award. Five more districts will earn this distinction in the coming days.22. Rural Craft Hub, supported by UNESCO: The Rural Craft Hub Project, organised with 10 forms of handicrafts by artisans of 26 villages from 9 districts, has received a rare honour. The artisans were nominated to exhibit their crafts at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The project has now expanded to 15 districts.23. In only four years, 15 universities and 46 colleges have been set up. Around 3 lakh seats have been created in higher education. 2500 primary and 3500 middle schools have been set up and 1815 high schools have been developed.24. In just four years, Bengal has set up 308 SNSUs and 48 SNCUs(there were only six SNCUs set up in the last three decades) to ensure proper healthcare for children. Bengal is the only state, where people get the benefits of CCU/HDU treatment even at subdivisions. 41 multi superspecialty hospitals have been set up all over the state. Number of beds in Government-run hospitals has increased by 27000.25. Fair-price medicine stores: In just four years, the State Government has opened 108 fair-price medicine stores, which distribute medicines at 48–77% discounts. Until now, 20 million individuals have availed themselves of discounts worth Rs 585 crore, which has set an example for the rest of the Nation to follow. This information was shared at the Eleventh World Congress of the International Health Economics Association.26. The Economic Survey 2015-16 released recently by the Union Government shows that West Bengal is the largest rice-producer in the country, with Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh following it.27. West Bengal is among the top States in India in terms of providing housing for the homeless. According to the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), in the urban and suburban areas, the State has done a really commendable job in this respect. West Bengal Government has always worked for the good of the people. The housing project under NULM is another of the numerous developmental projects it has facilitated over the last five years. NLM runs in 20 States. Among the clusters already being handed over to the people, West Bengal’s share is 37, which puts it in the second position in the country. Another 50 housing clusters are also being set up in the State.28. Till 2011, only 26 lakh Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) were distributed. In the last 5, years we have distributed 69 lakh KCC. 176 Kisan Bazaars have been set up.29. 64 cold storages have been set up for storing 8 lakh metric tonnes of food grains.30. Number of Mother’s Dairy kiosks has increased to 1509, a four-fold increase since 2006-11.31. 85,000 fishermen are getting monthly pension.A research centre for hilsa has been set up in South 24-Parganas district.32. 5 lakh metric tonnes of food grains have been stored in godowns, a 64-fold increase from 2006-11.33. Over 1.45 lakh ponds have been dug, while the target was 50,000. Jal Tirtha Scheme for Birbhum, Bankura and Purulia districts has been taken up.34. Nadia has been declared an open defecation free (ODF) district. Bengal is number one among the States in India.35. 1.35 lakh houses have been built under the Gitanjali Scheme.36. Under Nija Griha Nija Bhoomi Scheme, 3 lakh pattas have been distributed between 2011 and 2015. This is a three-fold increase from 2006 to 2011.37. Over 2 lakh mutations (four-fold increase from 2006 to 2011) has been carried out between 2011 and 2016.38. 666 rural pipelined water projects have been taken up. Two-fold increase in the number of tube wells set up by the government.39. Deliveries at health centres have increased from 68% to 90% between 2011 and 2016.40. 82 fair price diagnostic centres have been set up. 109 fair price medicine shops have been set up.41. 5851 new high schools have been set up between 2011 and 2016, compared to 500 high schools between 2006 and 2011. 33,628 primary schools have been electrified.42. 3 new municipalities have been created. Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has been created. Asansol and Howrah Municipal Corporations have been reorganised.43. Furfura Sharif Development Authority and Rampurhat-Tarapith Development Authority have been set up.44. Only 18% BPL households had power supply in March 2011. Now the figure stands at 90%. From 52% in 2011, the number of APL households with power supply stands at 98%.45. Biswa Bangla brand created to promote handloom and handicraft products of the State.46. Bengal is the first State to start a reality show called ‘Egiye Bangla’ to promote entrepreneurship.47. The e-Abgari scheme has received recognition from Computer Society of India (CSI).48. In another first, West Bengal has become the first State to give out free smartphones to the panchayats in order to keep track of the developmental work being carried out in the villages. The village-level developmental work is overseen by the panchayats. The mobile phones would be equipped with GPS technology.49. Measures have been taken to provide safety to fishermen who go out to the sea. Almost 1.38 lakh such fishermen have been provided biometric cards. About 1,000 distress alert transmitters have been distributed among them. E-registration has been started for sea-going vessels. 11,409 such certificates have already been given. These activities are ongoing, and the idea is to cover all fishermen and vessels.50. 587 new piped water supply schemes commissioned during 2011 to 2015 (till March 31) as against 188 from 2007 to 2011; a total of 704 are likely to be commissioned by the end of 2016.51. Under Lok Prasar Prokolpo scheme, folk artistes are enrolled by the government, following which they perform at government programmes for publicising all sorts of development work. Folk artists receive a retainership fee of Rs 1,000 and also opportunities for four performances, with Rs 1,000 to be paid for each. This means that there is provision for a folk artiste to receive at least Rs 5,000 a month. More than 60,000 enrolled folk artistes have been enrolled, and the process is continuing.52. A special social security scheme named Samaj Sathi has been launched by the State Government for the tribal kendu leaf collectors and their families of Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia districts. Under the scheme, any tribal kendu leaf collector between the age of 18 and 60 years may apply for registration free of cost. Once registered, the applicant and the applicant’s family would receive several social benefits.53. Under Gatidhara, the State offers assistance of a maximum of Rs 1 lakh, along with permits. Light goods vehicles, buses, mini buses, taxis, luxury taxis and even ambulances can be bought under the scheme.54. Yuvashree Scheme: Under this major initiative of the State Government, administered by the Labour Department, financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month has been extended to more than 1 lakh job seekers enrolled in the Employment Bank.55. Samajik Mukti Smart Card: Thirty-one lakh unorganised workers have benefitted from this card.56. Tea workers’ welfare: The West Bengal Tea Plantation Workers’ Board was constituted in 2015, with a corpus of Rs 100 crore.57. Model Labour Welfare Centres: Renovation work is going on in 25 Model Labour Welfare Centres.58. ESI Hospitals: For the outstanding performance of ESI hospitals in West Bengal, Rs 23,000 crore was granted by ESI Corporation, New Delhi during 2014-15. A Pain Management Institute was opened at ESI Hospital, Sealdah in 2013; this has been of immense help to workers who suffer from illness and pain. ESI Hospital, Manicktala was upgraded to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science and Research in 2013.59. Ease of Doing Business: Business-friendly initiatives like online application for factory license, online registration, changes and renewal under Shops and Establishments Act, single inspection strategy, launch of labour department helpline, single-window system, etc., have been started to attract more investments to the State.60. Shramik Mela: Fairs are being organised in different places for the generation of awareness about welfare schemes, labourers’ rights, etc.61. Welders’ Training Centres: Welders’ Training Centres were inaugurated in Taratala and Asansol in February 2014 and February 2015, respectively.62. Regional Shrama Bhavans: Two regional Regional Shrama Bhavans have been established in Siliguri and Asansol.63. Kolkata has been adjudged the ‘Best City in Crime & Safety’ category by India Today in the year 2014. Kolkata is the safest city in terms of incidents of crime against women, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2015 Data.64. 3 community policing projects, like SAMPARK and SUKANYA, initiated by Kolkata Police for involving under-privileged youth as well as for providing self-defence training to school girls.65. Reservation of 50% per cent of seats and offices in Panchayats for women and reservation of 50 per cent of seats and offices including those reserved for women in favour of SC, ST and BC have been ensured through enactment in 2012 and Panchayat Elections in 2013.66. The accounts of all the Panchayats have been fully computerized. Training infrastructure has been expanded to have, besides one State67. Institute of Panchayats & Rural Development and 5 Extension Training Centres, 30 District Training Centres across the State – a fact that has been adjudged by Government of India as one of the best in the country68. All Elected Representatives (around 58,000) have been trained after the Panchayat Elections in 2013, followed by regular refresher training for them as well as other functionaries through different means, e.g., institution-based residential training, mobile training and satellite channel-based training69. The World Bank supported Institutional Strengthening of Gram Panchayats (ISGP) Project has generated over the last 3 years innumerable good practices and innovative & Social Management Framework etc. thereby creating a scope for replication of these initiatives across the State.70. SWABALAMBAN SCHEME: Through the Swabalamban Scheme, training is given on a wide range of livelihood activities, e.g., zari craft, handloom weaving, beautician courses, community health, readymade garment-making, wood carving, etc. Recently, as a part of this scheme, the State Government has launched an acting project for sex workers, meant to make them self-sufficient by giving them acting lessons and making them employable in the entertainment industry.71. MUKTIR ALO: Muktir Alo is a comprehensive scheme for the rehabilitation of sex workers. It provides them with opportunities for leading a life with dignity by providing them alternative career opportunities, and also gives protection to victims of sex trafficking.72. MATERNITY LEAVE: For the benefit of women, maternity leave for State Government employees has been extended. ‘Maternity and Child Care Leave,’ as it is called, can now be taken for a total period of two years, in stages.73. POLICE STATIONS RUN BY WOMEN: The West Bengal Government has adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards crime against women. The Government is setting up police stations run exclusively by women police officers. As of now, the Government has set up 30 Women Police Stations, as these are termed.74. ANTI-TRAFFICKING UNITS: The State Government has set up dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking Units and Special Juvenile Police units in each district.75. EMPLOYMENT: More than 27,000 self-help groups have been formed over the last five years, which have over 16 lakh women members. Financial assistance to the tune of Rs 200.07 lakh has been sanctioned for development of women’s cooperative societies. The State has also created employment opportunities, including many for women, through skill development in various sectors. The Biswa Bangla initiative by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also opened up a lot of employment opportunities for women. A lot of the handicraft workers in the rural areas are women, who are earning a decent livelihood. Women’s participation in MGNREGS, in which the State has achieved unique milestones, has increased to 41%, which is all-time high in the State.

The structure of your query is in the form of:1.Cause2.Effect3.Solution by participation.Let's take each case one on one.1.Cause: Shops being demolished.Since you asked this question, you must he aware that the Hon'ble High Court ordered the administration to remove encroachments within a stipulated time frame, using 'all their might.’ It was a Public Interest Litigation, in which a simple question was answered and the rule of law upheld, with provision of appeal to highest court. Insofar as the rules are concerned, a state subject of municipality and government/public roads/land is hardly able to stand in a higher court if appealed, on the basis of the list of arguments already undertaken by the High Court. Now, the ambit of the order does cover all encroachments, depending on the best available reliable document, which is somewhat dated, but a government document nonetheless. The court can only frame additional guidelines if atleast one respondent raises the question of the parties affected on a limited list of causes, maybe there was no such representation made, maybe the court found the encroachers guilty beyond suspicion and had not to extend the orders besides asking the original state of roads/walkways to be restored. Simply, it means no representation was found worthy of being adjusted to in the final verdict. In a PIL, such representations are quite possible.2. Effect: Loss of property, opportunity and means of earning/employment.A property is considered valid with it's rights and duties if it is legal. Merely paying taxes on an illegal property does not make it legal. From time to time, the government or the courts have the power to declare the means of assessment for legality and validity. All employment generated from such property may automatically be illegal, or atleast not valid to be claimed for rights, even if duties such as proper upkeep, taxes paid or hire of services such as electricity, water and so on. The government is really limited in securing the right to opportunity under private means of employment, it can't dictate people to take up any ploy, or allow them any services while unemploying due to any reasons. No one not on government rolls has anything to do with losing work or earning. Yes, there must be favourable conditions for employment and it is checked by various means such as corporate tax, business registration etc. There should be no discrimination and anyone able to work may be adequately compensated to survive compared to any other person that may similarly survive with the lowest pay and perks on a humanitarian and just basis, known as pay/compensation etc. Private firms do not depend on the government to provide funds for work-pay and hence the government can't help them in case of a risk such as closure, stoppage of work or demolition. Just because someone did not know this doesn't mean their paycheck should be borne by the government.But yes, there are provisions of unemployment support from the government, and it is really limited. No state government has come forward to make any modifications to it, and never considered a respectable compensation since the vote-bank of such unemployed individuals is too small compared to, say, people who vote on the basis of subsidies or caste/regionalism. It just doesn't cover all the bases, unlike universal basic income or social security as done in advanced economies of the western countries.3.Solution by participation.Creativity is hard to come by during times of distress. In order to survive in any business, some creativity is always present in manner of operations, management or business accumen. In this case, creativity with the right effort is required, and also a major concern of the provisions of law. Any solution must adhere to these basic principles.The court has already advised the law and order to impose curfew, vide sec. 144 and to file contempt, FIR and recover charges from the parties that do not cooperate on the phased manner of operations.The window to the probable discussions on solution was already closed when no representations were received during the course of PIL being heard. The local government could also have made themselves party to the suffering of the people, and so could any civil society association or person.Now to stop the activity, as originally asked in the question, those who may present documents citing sensitive areas (being already granted security by means of CISF, Military or deemed of national importance such as historical places and corporates) may act on their proven clauses on which they may be allowed relaxation of time, a chance of hearing or a minuscle delay from the courts. On case to case basis, such parties may even succeed in being granted stay orders, permitted their clauses are heard and vetoed valid.The other group may use their clout and influence to have either a delayed action or revisions in mapping/estimation. The order is of the nature that does away with the usual ways people can hamper the work of a government official or use bureaucratic red tape to achieve desired outcomes.Finally, the individuals who are affected may best be heard only on logical and humanitarian causes of being treated fair and just. In due course, the damage may already be done and they may be left with no place to return to.There's a limited provision to rehabilitate persons, but since the road/land isn't being aquired for any purpose, simply reclaimed, such requests won't be heard.Individuals may consider an appeal to the Hon'ble courts for considering their list of common demands with respect to securing their livelihoods and having enough representable persons with common social status and income. As frequently seen, a rich representative for a community of poor isn't a good idea to beckon against the courts, the appeal may linger on, but no positive outcome may be guaranteed when the leadership itself is questionable.The best way out would be to establish a cooperative of resettlers, with insurances of health and temporary shelters granted by the government. They may be provided some opportunities in nearby industries and Special Economic Zones with regard to employability and qualifications. Those finding better opportunity elsewhere may migrate and lose their cooperative deposits or insurance. Those choosing to remain can develop solutions under govt schemes or urban/rural housing and self help groups, part time jobs and demand social welfare until they fully integrate back into the social and economic setup.Now, talking about creativity, as mentioned at the beginning of point 3:People born before the 70’s wouldn't agree, but if the main accused are shopkeepers and their primary concern is about their possessions, the stock or colloquially 'maal' (in Hindi), then there is a very trendy and easy alternative of selling online. They just have to find one web developer, a photographer and stock their items with a dispatch courier and they will get sold off, shop or no shop. Such warehousing won't work of course if the primary nature of the stock is of inferior quality or if the primary buyer is oblivious to online shopping. But if human rights can be invoked in favour of some illegal activity, this suggestion may equally hold value on the scale of hapazard means to achive an objective.It's important that those affected know that there's more to life and since disruption is in trend, start-ups and small scale industries, city -based solutions provide ample opportunity.If we keep blaming traffic or congestion, do note that people will hire an ac cab to offset the problem of time with their money. Anyone providing simple services based on people-centric solutions is likely to suceed. Some people can really through problems and devise clever solutions so that people equate convenience against money and such an enterprise is likely to succeed.There are enough old people in the city who can employ runners for daily chores.Anyone losing their shop can still list their inventories online and get sales by arranging deliveries direct to door.People losing key businesses can approach companies who may be interested in having boutique in-house services, providing space and logistics.Tie-ups with schools can allow many to shift their principal place of work and yet stay in the business.Apartments and large housing projects may be approached to provide commercial space in exchange for services.The affected may gather every week to encourage and support each other and use social platforms to garner support and discuss future outcomes, rather than blaming the past. A weekly radio show or a video release may also highlight their plight and inspire others with success stories to move on with life.People haven't lost their franchise to vote, only place of business and prime source of earning. They should be able to have their role in electing local bodies who provide realizable alternatives, not fake/illegal promises.Do also note that people will also vote against encroachment, and that the government or the court have no obligation to authorize illegal activities.For people who wouldn't agree to anything contained herein, who have a single sentence answer to every illegal activity being justified in some or other way, please go through the following reading of the order, which may dwell upon you that going into the details of anything in a court is likely to yield justice, in which the key functionaries in the government are warned to be liable for contempt for deriding the provisions of law:Uttaranchal High CourtManmohan Lakhera vs State Of Uttarakhand And Others on 18 June, 2018IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL Writ Petition (PIL) No.47 of 2013 Manmohan Lakhera ... Petitioner Versus State & Ors. ..... Respondents Mrs. Prabha Naithani, Brief Holder for the State-respondent nos.1 to 3 Mr. S.S. Chauhan, Advocate for respondent no.5 Dated: 18th June, 2018 Coram : Hon'ble Rajiv Sharma, J.Hon'ble Lok Pal Singh, J.[Per: Hon'ble Rajiv Sharma, J.] This petition was treated as PIL on the basis of letter sent by Mr. Manmohan Lakhera, Journalist highlighting therein the encroachments made on the public path by unscrupulous persons. The scope of this petition was enlarged from time to time.2. The affidavits have been filed by the District Magistrate, Dehradun. According to the latest affidavit filed by him, a meeting was called by him on 10.07.2014 for removal of encroachment over footpaths. The encroachments are removed on 06.06.2013, 07.06.2013, 10.06.2013, 11.06.2013, 12.06.2013, 13.06.2013 and 14.06.2013. The road wise list of removal of encroachments was filed as Annexure No.C.A.2 (Colly).3. The massive drive was launched for removal of encroachments. However, the fact of the matter is that, till date, the encroachment is being made with impunity on the public paths. The affidavits filed by the private parties were taken into consideration but not found satisfactory.4. According to the Gazetteer of Dehradun, written by H.G.Walton, ICS, First Published in 1910, a municipality, and the chief town and head quarters of the Dehradun district, is situated in north latitude 30019" and east longitude 7805",' at an elevation of 2,300 feet above the level of the sea, slightly to the east of the watershed line between the Ganges and the Jumna systems, occupying a plateau defined on the east by the Rispana Rao and on the west by the Bindal. Between these rivers lie the city and civil station, and beyond the Bindal are the cantonments. The town of Dehra was constituted as a municipality in 1867, and at that time its boundaries enclosed as area of only some 3½ square miles. The last alteration was made in 1909 with the object of including within municipal limits the villages of Hathibarkala and Dalanwala. New cantonments have also come in the area. This is a favourite settlement for Gorkha pensioners.5. In sequel to the directions issued by this Court, Shri Rajeev Sharma, President of District Bar Association Dehradun has filed a very comprehensive report. The report is accepted. We will deal with the issue of encroachment road-wise/area-wise.6 The Commissioner has visited the Chakrata Road on 14.04.2014. It is the main road leading from Clock Tower to Vikas Nagar. The worst affected area is about 500 mts. approx. starting from Clock Tower to Prabhat Cinema. Encroachment was removed in the year 2012. The shopkeepers, whose shops were demolished, were allotted shops as alternative for rehabilitation. The drive was undertaken for widening of the road. According to the G.O. 2123/V-2011-01 (vkŒ)/2011, minimum 2 mts. set back was required from the main road. This norm has been flouted with impunity. This could not happen without the connivance and collusion of the State officers/officials as well as the employees of MDDA. One glaring example of encroachment on Chakrata Road is by Mandir Samiti, Clock Tower. The portion of the Mandir property was demolished. The Mandir Samiti was allotted two shops at the MDDA Complex, however, despite that, fresh encroachment has taken place in triangular shape by the Mandir Samiti by putting angle iron and tin. The vehicles are also parked haphazardly on this road leading to frequent traffic jams. For reasons best known to the MDDA, the property of some of the shopkeepers has not been brought within the scope of demolition near the MAZZAR.7. One more glaring example is of Prabhat Cinema. The State functionaries and the employees of the MDDA, to give undue benefit, have changed the alignment of the road itself, leading to further chaos on the road. There is large scale encroachment on the footpaths and the commercial establishments have kept their big generators on the footpaths causing great inconvenience to the pedestrians. The placing of generators right on the footpaths, besides causing inconvenience to the pedestrians, is a constant source of noise as well as air pollution. The MDDA itself has notified 850 khokhas on this road which have been permitted to mushroom without authority of law. There are about 12 to 15 illegal tin shops on the left side of the road near the Bindal bridge. The footpaths are occupied unauthorizedly by putting up temporary stalls. After the Bindal bridge, there is Kishan Nagar Chowk and Ballupur Chowk, which have been encroached upon by the shopkeepers. Big sweet shop such as Uttar Sweets has extended its shop on the road. The customers parked their vehicles in front of the shop, which make the condition worse. The Standard Bakery has also constructed illegal shed and has extended its shop on road. Near the Central School and ONGC Community Center, the road has been encroached on both the sides by unauthorized occupants.8. Now we will advert to Saharanpur Road. It is also the main road leading from Clock Tower to Delhi - Dehradun Highway. It is the most crowded road of the Dehradun Town. The first patch of the road which starts from Clock Tower to Prince Chowk is choked with temporary encroachment. The area has been encroached upon by roadside shopkeepers. The shopkeepers have extended their shops beyond the permissible limits. At Darshan Lal Chowk, there are 10 to 15 illegal khokhas on the road disrupting heavy traffic. On the streets, small restaurants and food stalls, during the night period, are run in unauthorized manner causing nuisance and menace to the public at large. The main Arhat Bazar, as per government record, was shifted to Main Transport Nagar. The businessmen were given compensation and shops in Main Transport Nagar in lieu of part of their property demolished in the road widening but the position is still the same. After crossing the Lakhibagh police chowki, there is again a bottleneck. The shopkeepers backed by politicians have encroached upon the government land. The Arhat Bazaar, though on papers has been shifted, but it still is in existence and is a constant bottleneck. It takes about 45 minutes to travel from Clock Tower to Saharanpur Chowk.9. Now the Court will advert to Nehru Colony. This Colony is located on Haridwar Road. It was initially developed by Awas Vikas Parishad. It was the first duly approved residential colony of Dehradun. The majority of residential buildings have been converted into big showrooms causing inconvenience and nuisance to the local residents. The Nagar Nigam vide letter dated 25.04.2017 has admitted that the majority of residential buildings have been converted into commercial. It was astonishing to note that in one particular building 221-B Nehru Colony, a huge photo studio named as Khalsa Studio was being run and on the first floor a full fledged educational academy called "BSC Academy" was being run.10. The position of Rajpur Road is equally bad. This road starts from Clock Tower and leads to Mussoorie. Though the basements were approved for parking but these are being used for commercial purposes by the big business establishments including shopkeepers. The footpaths on the Dilaram Bazaar, constructed by MDDA, have been occupied. From Dilaram Bazaar to Hotel Madhuban, there are about 50 shops on the left side of the Rajpur Road. Most of theillegal khokas on this street are eateries. The footpaths are occupied unauthorizedly. Near Gandhi Park, the footpaths have been encroached upon by the cobblers, astrologers and beggars. The pedestrians cannot move freely in this area. The shopkeepers display their merchandise on the streets. 8 ft. wide footpath is reduced to few feet only. There are thelas and rikshaws parked on this area. There was a footpath near the Clock Tower named as the New Market. In this area, the shopkeepers display their merchandise without authority of law. There are traffic jams on these roads and the police has not taken any effective steps to regulate the same. The land near the Parade Ground is also encroached by the illegal Khokhas and temporary structures. The Nagar Nigam has illegally permitted holding of "Sunday Bazaar" by the shopkeepers.11. Now, we advert to Karanpur Bazaar, which is one of the oldest bazaar of Dehradun. The 30 feet wide market road is fully encroached upon. The government land has been given for even opening of ATMs by public banks. Even the Nala on this road has been encroached upon. The vehicles are parked haphazardly on this road. There was large scale encroachment made by Maheshwari Sweets to the extent of 10 fts., however, no steps have been taken by the authorities to remove the said encroachment.12. We will now advert to Araghar and Dharampur area. This road was visited by theCommissioner on 22.04.2014. It is a VIP road. This road is also encroached by the shopkeepers. Few of them are also running the workshops. Shops to the extent of 2 to 3 fts have been extended towards the road. It was also undertaken by the Nagar Nigam in Public Interest Litigation W.P. No.283 of 2004 (M/B) that the Sabzi Mandi will be shifted to some other place. The Nagar Nigam shifted the sabzi mandi on the road adjoining to LIC Zonal Office at Dharampur. The shopkeepers who were supposed to shift from the old place did not shift. Now they have kept two shops, one original shop and one allotted to them by way of rehabilitation.13. Haridwar Road is the main road connecting the city with Rishikesh-Haridwar Highway. The establishment has permitted the unauthorized vegetables and fruits shops on the road. The temporary structures are being run in abundance on this road.14. There are other very important areas of Dehradun including Paltan Bazzar, Dispensary Road, Hanuman Chowk, Sarnimal Bazaar, Tehsil and Jama Mazid. The entire drain from the clock tower to the end of the Paltan Bazaar is 100% encroached by the shopkeepers. The footpaths are also encroached by the shopkeepers. They have fixed their own tiles on the footpaths. None of the shops are within the permissible limits. The total width of the market is 30 ft. but only 10 ft. of open space is hardly left. The Dispensary road is also the worst affected area. The MDDA had recently constructed a multipurpose complex and allotted number of shops to the local shopkeepers who were shifted from the main road, however, the entire road is again encroached upon by the fruit and vegetable sellers. The vehicles are parked haphazardly near the multipurpose complex. 15 to 20 shopkeepers have encroached upon the Dispensary road. The dry fruit merchants have extended their shops near Zama Maszid area. Same is the plight of Sarnimal Bazaar. The shopkeepers have extended their shops around 6-7 feets on both sides.15. The roads that were 30-40 fts. wide on Prem Nagar Cantonment are also encroached upon. The pedestrians are not in a position to walk on roads. The shopkeepers are charging monthly rent for letting the fruit sellers and vegetable sellers sit in front of their shops. It has further compounded the situation. The area starting from Subhash Road is again an example of lawlessness. The residential houses have been illegally converted into commercial complexes.16. The gist of the report is that the shopkeepers are firstly allotted temporary structures. These people convert them into pucca structures and thereafter they encroach on the government land. The shopkeepers, though allotted new shops, do not leave their old shops. The so called encroachment drives undertaken by the Nagar Nigam and the MDDA are mere eyewash. The Officers who permit the conversion of temporary structure to pucca structure and encroachment on the government land, municipal land and MDDA land, are not punished. It has come on the record that the District Administration has convened a meeting on 10th July, 2014 to get rid Dehradun from encroachment on public land, more particularly the footpaths, before the one man Commission was constituted.17. The fact of the matter is that despite repeated directions issued by this Court, neither the State Government nor the MDDA nor the Nagar Nigam Dehradun has taken any effective steps to remove the encroachment from the public streets/pavements. Public streets are for public convenience. These should be free from encroachment. The citizen must have a free access to footpaths. The Court can take judicial notice of the fact that the children and elderly people also use the footpaths. The menace is so alarming that even the road, which are 30 fts. wide, have been reduced to mere 7-8 fts. The shopkeepers, firstly, are permitted to construct temporary khokhas and, thereafter, they make them pucca. There are permanent bottlenecks as noticed in the report, and highlighted by us. The footpaths are being permitted to be used for placing big generators causing noise and air pollution. The shopkeepers are permitting the vegetable and fruit vendors to sit in front of their shops. The residential premises have been converted into commercial complexes, more particularly, in the oldest colony i.e. Nehru Colony. Similar is the plight of other localities. The residential houses on the Haridwar road have been permitted to be used as commercial purposes. The basements, which are to be used primarily for parking lots, are being permitted to be used for commercial ventures. There are chaos all over Dehradun. The traffic moves at snail's pace. The public authorities cannot be oblivious to the loss of precious time of commuters. The Court can take judicial notice of the fact that the roads, encroached upon with impunity with the connivance and collusion of the authorities, are also ridden with garbage. Every citizen has a right to access to footpaths, roads, parks and public utilities under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. It is the duty cast upon the MDDA and the Nagar Nigam to keep the roads clean. Recently, there was a strike by the Safai Karamchari which further deteriorated the position. There was no alternative plan available with the Nagar Nigam and MDDA. The garbage was not removed from the streets for days together. The respondents are putting wool over the eyes of the Court by giving assurances from time to time that they are doing their best to remove the encroachment, but till date, Dehradun town is still suffering from this menace. The decision was taken by the High Power Committee on 10 July 2014. We are in 2018. Since then, the things have worsened instead of improving. The simple reason for encroachments, extension of shops and unauthorized construction is manifestation of the human greed with the collusion of functionaries of government and municipal bodies. The employers did not take any disciplinary action against the persons responsible for keeping the cities and towns free from encroachment.18. We live in a democracy. The rule of law should prevail. There is sufficient material on record to suggest that there is living anarchy as far as city of Dehradun is concerned. The cities/towns should provide quality living. The towns have been reduced to the status of slum areas. The slum areas are permitted to mushroom. Every city/town has a carrying capacity. Dehradun was once known for its aesthetic beauty. There are important institutions in Dehradun likeIndian Military Academy, ONGC, Survey of India, Forest Research Institute, etc. Schools of international fame and universities are also situated in Dehradun. Dehradun is the seat of governance but there is an old proverb "Nearer the Church, the farther from God" (nhid rys v/ksajk). If that is the plight of the capital city, we can visualize the situation prevailing in other towns and cities in the State of Uttarakhand. Recently, a report has come that the quality of Dehradun city was bad. The river Rispana flowing through the heart of the town has been reduced to the status of sewer (worse than nala). How the functionaries of the State capital are oblivious to this, is beyond our comprehension. There has to be sensitivity in the system. Every person serving in a public system is accountable for his acts. Encroachment, unauthorized constructions, coming up of slums is a grim reminder of callousness on the part of the authorities concerned.19. Accordingly, on the basis of material placed on record, more particularly, as per the report submitted by Mr. Rajeev Sharma, Chairman/President of the District Bar Association Dehradun as per the order dated 25th July, 2014, we issue following mandatory directions:i) The Municipal Corporation/MDDA/ State functionaries are directed to remove all the unauthorized encroachment on public footpaths/ streets/ roads/ pavements including unauthorized constructions made over them within a period of four weeks from today by using its might. It shall be open for the State functionaries to impose Section 144 of Cr.P.C. while removing the demolition of illegal structures built on government and municipal land/footpaths/streets.ii) The Chief Secretary to the State of Uttarakhand is directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officers/officials, during whose tenure, government land/municipal land/forest land have been encroached, with impunity, by the unscrupulous people. The disciplinary proceedings shall be commenced for imposition of major penalty. We authorize the Chief Secretary to the State of Uttarakhand, to constitute the nodal agency to supervise the disciplinary proceedings to be initiated against the officers/officials who were found remiss in discharge of their statutory duties. It is made clear that no officer, be it of any rank, shall be spared. The axe should not fall on lower class employees alone.iii) The State functionaries/MDDA and the Nagar Nigam Dehradun are directed to seal all the residential premises which are being misused as commercial purposes including basements within a period of three weeks from today. It is made clear by way of abundant precaution that if the basement areas, which are meant for parking vehicles, are not used for parking purposes, the entire commercial building be sealed.iv) The persons who have taken advantage of rehabilitation policies, but have not surrendered their shops at the old places, their new leases shall be cancelled and themunicipal/state functionaries shall take over the shops. The same shall be auctioned again in accordance with law to maintain rule of law.v) The State Government is directed to carry out necessary amendments in the building bye- laws of the Nagar Nigam Dehradun and MDDA that no unauthorized construction is compounded to arrest the tendency of the people to raise unauthorized construction by paying meager compounding fee. The compounding of entire unauthorized construction is against rule of law.vi) The Director General of Police to the State of Uttarakhand is directed to ensure that there are no traffic jams in Dehradun city to avoid wastage of precious time and inconvenience to the commuters and pedestrians.vii) It is made clear that in the eventuality of the directions not being implemented in the time frame, given hereinabove, the Court may recommend supersession of the Nagar Nigam by the State Government. It is made clear that after the removal of the encroachment, demolition and unauthorized constructions, it shall be the responsibility of the State officers/officials and MDDA to maintain constant vigil that the land is not reoccupied.viii) Unscrupulous people have been permitted by the State functionaries to raise unauthorized construction in the river bed as well as on the banks of river Rispana. The respondents are directed to restore the "Rispana River" which is an important tributary of Ganges, within a period of three months from today. The encroachment on both banks shall be removed within three months from today.ix) The entire State of Uttarakhand is in Zone 4-5 seismic activity. New buildings can be permitted to be constructed after receiving the report from the structural engineer.x) The Director, Health Services to the State of Uttarakhand/C.M.O./Health Officer of Municipal Corporation Dehradun shall submit day-to-day report to the Registrar General of this Court about the cleanliness in the city of Dehradun after visiting the spot every 24 hours.xi) Respondents are directed to submit compliance report before the Registrar General of this Court.xii) The Secretary, Public Works Department shall be the Nodal Agency to implement thedirections issued by this Court, hereinabove, and in case of non-compliance, he shall be personally liable for contempt as well as disciplinary proceedings.20. With the aforesaid observations and directions, present petition stands disposed of.(Lok Pal Singh, J.) (Rajiv Sharma, J.) 18.06.2018 18.06.2018 Rajni