TIRUCHY: Thanjavur farmers staged a protest on Wednesday demanding an uninterrupted three-phase power supply to save summer crops, for which cultivation has already begun.

According to the protesting farmers, summer crops have been cultivated on around 30,000 acres in Thanjavur district with the support of pump sets. They said that the three-phase supply was suspended after the Lok Sabha polls. Since then, they have been struggling to save the crops.

The farmers also claimed that the groundwater level had gone deep below this year and so the three-phase power supply is essential to run the high-power motors to draw water.

They also said that there was continuous power cut in Marathurai and Panthanallur for the past 10 days and they were not able to run the motors to draw water. So the crops have started to wither in the region.

The farmers who gathered at the Thirupananthal staged a protest and blocked the Thirupananthal-Vaitheeswaran Koil road.

On information, the Tangedco officials rushed to the spot and held talks with the agitating farmers. Later, they assured to provide an uninterrupted power supply, With the assurance the farmers dispersed from the spot and the traffic resumed. The traffic was disrupted for more than two hours in the area due to the protest.