In yet another breakthrough DMF has linked up with fish workers in the district of Murshidabad in West Bengal. Murshidabad has been a district with a large number of fishers, fish farmers and fish vendors. On June 18th 2017 a team comprising of DMF Assistant Secretary Ambia Hossain, President Pradip Chatterjee and Advisor Soumen Ray visited Sahebpara, a village across the Ganga at Baharampore in Murshidabad. The village, a few years back, teemed with fishing activities due to plentiful of fish in the river Ganga. Now it has become a place of despaired and impoverished people desperately moving around in search of livelihood. The river has almost no fish. The small and traditional fishers do not have money to get privately owned ponds under lease. So, some of them work as part time contract labourers serving the pond owners in fish farming. A few have switched over to fish vending, purchasing fish from local depots and selling those in different localities. Others work as daily labourers in agriculture, brick-kilns, construction works etc. The fishing community members lamented the good old days but were in a fix to suggest a way out of their difficulties. They were eager to form a unit of DMF there. Discussions that ensued threw up two probable moves. One, restoration of fish resource in Ganga and two, helping the fish vendors to consolidate their positions through micro-finance, development of markets etc. An ad-hoc committee was formed to take forward the activities. Next day, 19th June 2017 another meeting was arranged with fishers on the bank of Bhandar Daha – a lake cum wetland extending 56 kilometers through four blocks. Bhandar Daha once constituted the course of Ganga. Thousands of fishers are still dependent on this large waterbosy with perennial water source. The meeting was held at Anandanagar and attended by about 200 fishers including 35 women. Many fisher participants presented the story of Bhandar Daha, their lifeline. They said that there were about 30 Fishermen Cooperative Societies at Bhandar Daha. None of these are functioning. Common complain has been that the office bearers of societies sell off the fishing rights to outsiders, usurp bulk of the proceeds and give away only 50 to 100 rupees to general members. The main water inflow channel to Bhandardaha has been blocked and encroached. The flood in the year of 2000 has further silted Bhandar Daha. There has been no real drive to restore the water body. At times the government talk of desilting and clearing the water body but no real work is done. The condition of lesser canals and streams are all the same. It was also reported by the resident fishers that a Rs.400 crore project has been sanctioned recently for restoration of Bhandardaha. But the people are at dark regarding the work plan or its execution. It was decided that:- * Linkages will be built up with fishing communities living in other places around Bhandar Daha. * A membership drive will be undertaken with formation of units of DMF. * A deputation will be given to the District Administration and Fisheries Department authorities on the main demands of the fishing communities dependent on Bhandar Daha Bill.