The Delhi high court has sought reports from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute and director of the horticulture department about the prices of saplings purchased for the Union government's green belt projects in Tamil Nadu. According to a public interest litigation (PIL), the Union environment ministry had quoted the price of saplings to be more than 10 times the market price. The PIL alleged that the Union environment and forest minister had violated laws by granting permission for purchasing saplings at the rate of Rs 155 a piece when the market price was only Rs 10.