Apart from official apathy, substance abusers and anti-social elements are also responsible for the deteriorating condition of the park around the Clock Tower.
According to Ravi Kumar, who runs a shop near the Clock Tower, substance abusers repeatedly steal the metal parts and other items installed in this park. They sell these items in order to get money for their fix. He said that the local traders have many times caught such substance abusers and anti-social elements in the act of stealing and after thrashing them have handed them over to the police in the past. This state of affairs points towards the failure of the police to prevent theft in the very heart of Dehradun, though police presence and the nearby Dhara police post would make one think that the Clock Tower is safe from theft.