MP's power stations' output less

Bhopal, Feb 23 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh's thermal power stations have registered a decline in generation, the Assembly was informed today.

In a written reply to Mr Ajay Singh (Congress), Power Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, ''in 2002-03, the output was 14,559.94 million units and that fell to 14,015.13 mln units in the following fiscal and further declined to 13,540.82 mln units in 2005-06.'' Blaming technical problems, he added that 257 instances of wire theft -- a total length of 663 km -- took place in Shivpuri district over a span of three years. However, only 30 first information reports were registered.

''The Pichhore tahsil's Kararkheda village substation is not functioning for the three years due to such theft,'' the Minister added. The village is being supplied from other substations.

In reply to Mr Lakshman Singh Gaur (Bharatiya Janata Party), Jails Minister Antar Singh Arya said, ''the state's 118 prisons are housing 31,359 inmates against a capacity of 20,305.'' UNI