NEW DELHI, Aug 31 — The Prime Minister’s Office categorically said today that Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s rescheduled visit to the United States of America stood and pruning the already curtailed tour any further was ruled out.

“There is no doubting that Mr Vajpayee does have an orthopaedic problem of osteoarthritis. He is undergoing regular physiotherapy for it and has been advised by the doctors not to stand for any length of time or make public speeches for some time,” according to authoritative sources.

They dispelled the impression gaining ground with all the force at their command that the Prime Minister was suffering from some other health problem of a serious nature which is being kept under wraps.

“The speculation that Mr Vajpayee’s trip to the USA might be cut even further unnecessarily raises fears and apprehensions which are totally unfounded. The Prime Minister is going through the exhaustive briefs connected with his address to the millennium summit of the United Nations in New York followed by his official visit to Washington,” the sources said.

Doctors have advised Mr Vajpayee not to strain his knee by standing or walking for an extended period. Experts said that the Prime Minister does need to lose some weight to avoid compounding the shooting pain in his knee joints.

They drew pointed attention to some political busy bodies talking at length nearly two years ago about Mr Vajpayee purportedly suffering from a prostrate problem which was denied most vehemently. All this talk revolving around Mr Vajpayee’s health in certain sections has ultimately proved to be nothing but mere conjectures.

Mr Vajpayee’s aides maintain that the Prime Minister has been at his desk in the imposing South Block every day and keeping to his busy schedule of appointments. He chaired the meeting of the Union Cabinet today not at his official Race Course road residence but in South Block. As is the practice the Prime Minister has been taking the lift to his first floor office.

The Prime Minister’s address to the United Nations has now been shifted to September 8 instead of September 6 and making any more adjustments in this regard is ruled out. His visit to San Francisco on the west coast has been cancelled to avoid the strain thereby affording him some breathing space in New York itself. His other engagements in New York are being dovetailed and finetuned.

To avoid the strain of climbing the ladder of the Air India jumbo aircraft which will ferry the Prime Minister and his high power entourage to the USA on September 7, he will emplane from the IGI international airport via the aerobridge rather than boarding from the high security technical area of the Palam Air Force Station.

The President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, has been following this procedure during his official tours abroad.