Lucknow: It takes Rs 3,000 and one day to become an Army official in Lucknow. Cheap imitations of Army fatigues are being freely sold in Sadar Bazar that lies on the periphery of the Army cantonment in Lucknow.
The fabric may not be fire retardant but it looks very much like the original. One shop in the area sold tailored pants for Rs 700, shirts for Rs 500, cap for Rs 70-100, belt and badge for Rs 300, shoes for Rs 500 and cotton-padded jackets for Rs 800. The uniforms are stitched and delivered in one day.
“Teen hazaar mein Army afsar bana denge – badge se socks tak,” bragged a shopkeeper.
Shops selling Army uniform dot the entire market that is, ironically, frequented more by Armymen and their kin.
One owner, on conditions of anonymity, said his customers are mainly are jawans who buy uniforms if their’s get tattered or lost. “We make sure to check identity cards before we sell any items and we even maintain a record”, he said.
A few shops away, there is a tiny kiosk that sells identity cards for dependents of Army personnel. These cards entitle the owner to free treatment at Army hospital and access to prohibited areas in the cantonment.
When asked, a senior police official said, “Most shopkeepers here have been selling the fabric for long and mostly to Army jawans. The Army has never raised any concern on the sale.”
