Bhubaneswar, June 23: The government’s green fingers have worked on stretches of the city roads, giving the city a verdant look. But itchy fingers have stolen the plants, and thereby, the beauty.

First the walls and pillars of the Rajmahal flyover were defaced with graffiti and now vandals have begun stealing and destroying ornamental plants on the flyover median.

Disturbed by this lack of civic sense, the corporation has decided not to plant expensive ornamental saplings any more, as vandals seem to favour these while stealing. Instead, forest species of saplings, which are far less expensive, will be planted.

A large number of these plants have been found missing from the median on the flyover. “The flyover was inaugurated on October 17 last year and the public works department (PWD) invested in planting the saplings, including ornamental ones. The environment wing of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation took up the maintenance work. We water the plants regularly. But many plants have gone missing from the stretch,” said corporation environment officer Bikram Keshari Routray.

Routray said plantation of ornamental species on many medians of the city had been put on hold and there was a plan to replace the ornamental plants with forest species just to keep vandals at bay. The ornamental species — called araucaria — cost Rs 50 to Rs 300 per sapling, he said. PWD has planted nearly 100 saplings of the ornamental variety on the median.

Pradyumna Panda, a company executive who stays in Forest Park and takes the flyover to the Cuttack road, said: “The civic sense of the citizens has deteriorated drastically and the theft of the saplings from the stretches that have been beautified is worrying for both the civic and development authorities.”

In January 2012, when the city was hosting the 99th session of the Indian Science Congress, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority had beautified the stretch between AG Square and Raj Bhavan Square, but many pots were found missing. Many of these were stolen at night.

Municipal commissioner Sanjib Kumar Mishra said: “Disfigured walls are a common sight in the city. From political parties and educational institution to business houses, everyone is using the walls to paste their posters. It is a disturbing trend. We have already taken a decision to write to all the violators to remove the posters from the walls.”

“Stealing saplings from areas where the government has sponsored beautification drives is another disturbing trend. It is also a crime. We tend to the saplings all summer, but when they finally grow into tall shrubs in the monsoon, vandals steal them,” rued the corporation environment officer.

The civic body, meanwhile, is planning to carry out more beautification drives in the city in collaboration with the development authority. Work on the stretch between the Rajmahal flyover and the new domestic terminal of the Biju Patnaik Airport has been completed. The project will see similar development work up to Nandankanan.