The chief forest department officer, Thane, has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 to anyone with information on the person who set fire to and destroyed 70,000 trees in Kalyan. The officer has also requested people to come forward and help the department water the plants during the summer and winter.

A year ago, one lakh saplings had been planted on a hillock in Mangrul at Neville village near Kalyan to create a green cover. Last week, 70,000 of them were destroyed in a fire allegedly set by some land-grabbers.