They demonstrate and stage sit-in in front of administration and Rural Electrification Board (REB) offices in different areas for steps to save IRRI-Boro crops.

Yesterday, farmers staged a demonstration in front of the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner's office and handed over a memorandum to the DC demanding smooth power supply to Barind region. Rajshahi district unit of Jatiya Krishak Samity organised it.

IRRI-Boro crops have turned yellowish at many places in the district for lack of irrigation, they claimed while talking to this correspondent.

On Tuesday, farmers with spades on shoulder and sickles in hand marched to the Godagari upazila headquarter to protest erratic power supply.

The farmers from Ramnagar, Aihairahi, Digram, Hatathpara, Ghanashampur and Ataharpara villages in Godagari upazila laid a seize to the REB office and staged a sit-in before the Upazila Nirbahi Officer's office.

All the officials and employees fled from the office seeing the farmers approaching the office.

The farmers told the UNO that they were getting power for only six hours a day, but they need continuous irrigation to save crops.

On Monday, several hundred farmers from Jhilim, Baliadanga and Gobortala unions of Sadar upazila in Chapainawabganj staged a demonstration in front of the house of local ruling party legislator Harunur Rashid.

Rashid expressed his solidarity with the farmers and urged the officials concerned to ensure smooth power supply to irrigation machines on an emergency basis.

The farmers later laid a siege to the local REB office and held a rally on the DC's office premises demanding uninterrupted supply to deep tubewells.

Chaired by Gobortala UP chairman Asjadur Rahman, the meeting was addressed by farmers Bisharat Ali and Anwar Ali.

The speakers said that they did not get power supply to their irrigation machines for ten days and that their fields were turning yellowish for lack of water.

More than 90 per cent of the 7,000 irrigation machines in the Barind region comprising Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts depend on electricity. Loadshedding keeps many of the deep tubewells inoperative for hours together, farmers said.

At times low voltage damages irrigation machines, making them inoperative.

According to Rajshahi Power Development Board, the national grid is supplying less than half of the daily requirement of 300 MW in the northern region.