Chandigarh heritage items sold for Rs 7 lakh in US

A pair of heritage nightstands from the city was auctioned for Rs 7.02 lakh in the US on November 20.

Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, said the artefacts, designed by Pierre Jeanneret, most probably belonged to the Haryana MLA Hostel here. He said the auction was conducted by Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA).

Seeking protection of national heritage, in a letter to Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar and Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jagga stated that the auction was conducted in the US despite advance intimation.

“The ongoing auctions can be stopped only through diplomatic channels and the city heritage items brought back, as they were taken out in an illegal manner,” he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), through its order dated February 22, 2011, has banned the movement of Chandigarh heritage articles, beyond the borders of India. Their shifting from one building to another is also banned.