Farm power connections hit as stolen transformer remains unreplaced in Lalgudi

Trichy: Farmers from Melaperungavoor village near Lalgudi have urged the state govt and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to immediately replace an agriculture transformer coil that was allegedly stolen on May 1, saying the delay has disrupted irrigation and affected cultivation across nearly 100 acres.According to the farmers, the damaged transformer caters to around 30 agricultural electricity service connections. Since the theft, power supply for irrigation has remained suspended, leaving standing crops without adequate water and causing severe hardship to cultivators.“Despite submitting repeated petitions and complaints to electricity board officials, both in person and in writing, no permanent action has been taken to restore the transformer,” Rajesh Remo, a local resident said.

“We were asked to pay Rs60,000 towards rewinding the transformer coil through a private workshop before power supply could be restored to all 30 affected agricultural service connections,” he alleged.Rajesh questioned why they should bear the cost of replacing equipment that was stolen and urged the authorities to undertake the repair at govt expense. “We have been waiting for more than two months. Without electricity, irrigation has come to a standstill, threatening our livelihoods,” he said.A senior Tangedco official assured that the matter will be looked into. “But they should not have pay anything to anyone for anything,” the official said.