Chandigarh, 10 February 2025: Amid concerns over the unchecked sale of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture, another auction of such items is scheduled in the Netherlands on February 15, Ajay Jagga, member of UT’s Heritage Items Protection Cell, has claimed.
Jagga has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging diplomatic intervention to halt the sale.
Despite prohibitory orders, India’s heritage items continue to be smuggled and auctioned internationally, raising questions over enforcement, he stated.
“A rare teak triangular coffee table designed by Pierre Jeanneret for his private residence in Chandigarh is among the items listed for auction by Hessink’s in the Netherlands.
A similar sale was held by WRIGHT in the US on January 9,” Jagga said, adding that the table’s estimated price is between €4,000 and €6,000 (Rs 3.6-5.4 lakh).
He noted that such auctions violate India’s heritage protection laws and contradict the government’s vision of “Viksit Bhi, Virasat Bhi.”
He urged the Ministry of External Affairs to direct Indian embassies to monitor and object to such sales, facilitating diplomatic intervention.
Meanwhile, a report by the Government College of Art, Sector 10, submitted to Chandigarh’s Department of Urban Planning, has documented missing heritage furniture, including wooden tables, chairs, racks, and benches. Several pieces have been marked as broken or unserviceable.
Following a 2016 theft in which 15 sofa chairs and a wooden table were stolen—one of which was allegedly burnt—the recovered chairs remain with the police.
While these artefacts are being auctioned internationally for substantial amounts, concerns persist over their disappearance from local institutions.
