6 Chandigarh heritage items sold for Rs 51 lakh in US

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 1

In yet another auction of UT’s heritage items, six artefacts went under the hammer in the US on April 30 fetching a total of Rs 50.92 lakh.

Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, said an auction house, LAMA, sold a pair of easy armchairs for Rs 9.9 lakh, a pair of committee armchairs for Rs 8.94 lakh, a daybed for Rs 13.68 lakh, a set of four stools for Rs 8.41 lakh, a desk and a chair for Rs 4.73 lakh, and a set of four stools for Rs 5.26 lakh.

In the auction held last month in Chicago, US, seven heritage items from the city had been auctioned for Rs 69.18 lakh. In a letter to Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Jagga stated that in response to his last representation on this topic, the Ministry of Culture took action and asked the agencies such as the ASI to look into the matter. However, the MEA is yet to take cognisance of this matter, he added.

In fact, heritage articles are being auctioned regularly in foreign countries without any resistance from the Government of India. In view of this, it is requested that the Indian Embassies in foreign countries must be sensitised about UT’s heritage, so that wherever information comes to them, they can, at least, raise the alarm, to save the heritage, he added.

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