At historic Pichaboni, where at the time of the ‘Quit India’ movement in 1942 the local people blocked the road to stop the British police and firmly announced ‘pichaboni’ – a Bengali word meaning ‘we will not get back’, the small fish vendors staged a small but significant struggle for their right to livelihood and won it. The Pichaboni fish market lies just beside the Kanthi-Digha highway. Around 100 to 150 small fish vendors earn their livelihood by selling fish in this market. People from about 12-14 villages visit this market for their daily requirement of fish. This makes it an important sea fish market of the area. Without a proper market both fish vendors and buyers had been suffering since 20-22 years from grossly unhygienic conditions and inclement weather, not to mention the high risk of doing business just beside a very busy highway. No toilet, no supply of water, no platform for fish selling, no shed, no drainage no cleaning system – none of the basic civic requirements for a fish market was available. Many memorandums were submitted to the Fisheries Department requesting for a modern fish market with necessary amenities. But there has been absolutely no positive development. On top of this, in August 2017, an eviction notice was suddenly served on the small fish vendors of Pichaboni market under the plea of expansion of the highway. Immediately the market committee and the fish vendor union moved the BDO, District Fisheries Officer, Sub-Divisional Officer, local MLA and MP against the eviction notice. Following this the fish vendors’ union raised the issue of eviction of Pichabony fish market to different government authorities at different levels. Unfortunately no move to rehabilitate the poor fish vendors was noticed. But the work for expansion of the highway continued. There have been continuous threats from the administration on the fish vendors to vacate the area. The local Panchayet also requested the administrative authorities for proper rehabilitation of the fish vendors and the fish market. But there was no assurance. Even the Panchayet asked the vendors to quit immediately. In February this year PWD announced that the area should be vacated within 24 hours. Though the fish vendors were trying to vacate a part of the area squeezing into the other, they were continuously asking for rehabilitation. Finding no way out the fish vendors and the union prepared for a last fight. They planned to block the highway to make the government listen to their legitimate demand. At the same time they kept continuously in touch with the authorities. The fisheries department and other administrative authorities were again moved by the union. Pintu Das, leader of the fish vendor union of Pichabony, had a talk with the BDO and requested him to do something to avoid the imminent showdown. BDO Manoj Kanjilal assured emergency rehabilitation and inspected the market. In presence of the local Panchayet and Market Committee he assured construction of the fish market at a nearby vacant site that belongs to the Irrigation Department. He also assured of developing the land and arrange for legal sanction. The road side fish market at Pichabony is continuing. It is hoped that the construction work for new fish market will start immediately after the parliamentary elections. The union is having continuous vigil on the developments.