Good news for trout lovers, especially Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A mysterious viral disease that left thousands of trout dead in the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh has been identified and controlled, assert a group of Norwegian scientists.

About 15 metric tonnes of rainbow trout died in the state's various fish farms in 2002-2003. A team from Norway arrived and identified the disease as being caused by the Irrido virus. They have recommend the setting up of a national pathological laboratory for the farms.

Rainbow trout was first introduced in Himachal fish farms in 1996 in collaboration with Norway. An adult fish can grow up to a length of 32 centimetres. Connoisseurs insist it is the tastiest fish on earth.

The Norwegian team has now declared the infected fish "fit for human consumption', but perhaps it is a bit too late. Vajpayee returned from his summer vacation in the Kullu valley without satiating his palate.