Here, army fatigues can be had off the shelf for ₹1,000
Shopkeepers say fabric is sold only to accredited jawans but concerns remain
PATHANKOT/LUDHIANA: With Pakistan-based terrorists in army fatigues once again setting into motion the second major attack on Punjab territory within five months with a car snatching, it remains a challenge for the security establishment to stop the misuse of the much-coveted uniform.
The fabric that looks ‘almost similar’ to the army fatigues is available in most cloth shops on Railway Road, Pathankot, at a starting rate of around ₹200 per metre going up to ₹700 a metre. So, a full ‘uniform’ for an average adult male, who needs around 5-metre cloth for both shirt and trouser, can be procured for as less as ₹1,000. After adding the stitching charges, one can roam around the city as an army man for less than ₹1,500.
Shopkeepers, however, claim that most customers they sell the fabric to are accredited army jawans. “Most shopkeepers here have been selling the fabric for long and mostly for the use of army jawans. The army has never raised any concern. In fact, the sale of this fabric is our bread and butter. If an order is issued banning its sale, I will follow it,” a shopkeeper told HT.
Defence spokesperson Manish Mehta said, “It is the duty of respective deputy commissioners to check the sale of cloth and uniform similar to the ones used by the army. Security personnel get their uniforms from respective units and only at authorised outlets in army areas.” Deputy commissioner Sukhwinder Singh could not be contacted for comment.
BAN ON SALE NOT ENFORCED IN LUDHIANA Even as the sale of the fabric and shoes similar to army fatigues was banned in the district on October 21, the practice continues unabated at all the old city markets, especially near the railway station. “Tailors in the city stitch the entire ‘army uniform’ on order even for civilians. What is guarantee that the fatigues would not be misused? This is now a major headache for authorities,” said a source.