Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has sought a custody report from the Chandigarh (UT) Administration regarding the auction of heritage furniture from the MLA Hostel in the US for Rs 59 lakh.
In this regard, a high-level meeting was held with the concerned authorities of the administration to ascertain who the custodian of these items was. The heritage furniture is in the custody of various authorities of the Punjab, Haryana, and UT Chandigarh Government, and records of inventory of such items are being maintained by the UT administration.
Taking serious note of the matter, Speaker Sandhwan said strict action will be taken against the culprits and accountability will be fixed for those who committed this crime.
The Speaker emphasised that any intentional negligence damaging Chandigarh’s unique architectural and historical heritage will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
Controversy erupted over the auction of a pair of heritage chairs and a set of four low stools from the Punjab MLA Hostel in Sector 4, Chandigarh, in Chicago, US, on June 4 for USD 72,720, over Rs 59 lakh. The sale has raised serious questions about the preservation of assets linked to the state’s legislative institutions. The chairs were sold for over Rs 42 lakh, while the stools fetched over Rs 17 lakh.
The heritage items reached the auction house in the US despite clear orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding checks on the movement, sale, and export of such items.
The items were sold by a US-based auction house, Wright. A picture of the sold chairs on the auction house’s website carries the inventory marking — “MLA (H) PB/1/B-11”.
Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Protection Cell, Chandigarh — an apex committee set up by the Chandigarh Administration to make an inventory, trace, and prevent illicit trafficking of iconic mid-century modern heritage furniture — had, in a letter, urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to ascertain who authorised the sale and whether the requisite permission was obtained. The heritage cell is headed by the UT Chief Secretary.
