Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Chandigarh’s iconic identity and architectural heritage have once again surfaced in the international auction market, raising serious concerns over preservation. At a recent sale held by Sworders Auction House in the United Kingdom, four lots of furniture designed by renowned Swiss-French architect Pierre Jeanneret were sold for a combined £20,800 (approximately ₹21.8 lakh).
What has intensified the controversy is that the furniture pieces clearly bore official identification markings from Chandigarh’s government departments, yet no action was taken to prevent their sale.
Advocate Ajay Jagga, who has been actively fighting for heritage conservation, has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, urging immediate intervention. He has proposed issuing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) directing Indian embassies abroad to monitor such auctions and act swiftly.
Jagga pointed out that while auction houses previously concealed the origins of such items, they now prominently display markings like “NIS/WHB/48” or “P.B.S.-005” to authenticate the pieces and attract higher bids.
He criticized the contradiction between the government’s vision of “development with heritage” and the continued illegal export and sale of Chandigarh’s legacy assets. According to him, more than 11 auctions of Jeanneret-designed furniture have already taken place during 2025–26.
Among the items sold were a daybed for ₹4.41 lakh, a pigeonhole desk for ₹7.87 lakh (£7,500), a 1955 file rack for ₹5.77 lakh (£5,500), and a set of four chairs for ₹3.78 lakh (£3,600). The repeated auctioning of such historically significant pieces has reignited debate over safeguarding India’s modern architectural heritage, particularly assets linked to Chandigarh’s globally celebrated design legacy.
