Tree lovers in the city are alleging that rain trees are being systematically killed, so that they can be used for wood. Kshitij Ashtekar, a senior manager at Accenture, had conducted a survey of 611 rain trees in the city, and he determined that more than half of them were dying or were dead.

Ashtekar noticed that a rain tree near Kach Pada bus stop on Link Road, Malad (West) had lost all its leaves within 2-3 days and started dying. He alleges it was pumped with a chemical poison. Pic/Sameer Markande