The issue in the present case is related to the felling of more than ten lacs trees for construction of 150 Hydro Electric Power projects in the State of Himachal Pradesh since early 1990s. Earlier the High Court of Himachal Pradesh constituted a one man High Powered Committee consisting of Mr. Avay Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Himachal Pradesh to look into the matter and directed to submit its report. The Committee submitted its report on various issues. The Hon’ble High Court accepted all the recommendations made by the Committee. One of the significant recommendations accepted by the Court were - "The Committee therefore recommends that the state Govt. should carry out basin-wide EIA’s for all the river basins of the state, and till these are finalized no more hydro projects should be allotted or, where allotted, their clearances should be withheld."