Chandigarh: City-based advocate and member of Chandigarh’s Heritage Item Protection Cell (HIPC), Ajay Jagga, has urged Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to revive the Heritage Item Protection Cell and establish a permanent mechanism to safeguard Chandigarh’s heritage artefacts.In a representation to the administrator, Jagga referred to a June 2026 letter from the Union ministry of culture to the Chandigarh administration regarding the proposed auction of Chandigarh heritage items in Paris. The ministry had asked the UT administration to coordinate with the ministry of home affairs and take necessary steps to stop the auction, stating that the items did not fall under the ambit of antiquities or art treasures governed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).Jagga said the revival of the HIPC was essential to ensure regular monitoring and protection of Chandigarh’s heritage assets. He stressed the need for an institutional and coordinated framework to identify heritage articles, monitor international auctions, establish provenance and facilitate intervention through the Centre to prevent their sale and secure their return to Chandigarh or India wherever possible.Referring to the ministry’s communication, Jagga said it was encouraging that the issue of Chandigarh’s stolen heritage had drawn attention at the international level, including at Unesco. He noted that the ministry had clearly recognised the matter as falling within the Chandigarh administration’s domain and had called upon it to take appropriate action.Jagga further pointed out that the communication also confirmed the existence of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC), constituted to preserve the city’s heritage assets. He urged the administration to work in coordination with the ministry of external affairs and the Indian embassy in Paris to prevent the auction of Chandigarh’s heritage items and strengthen efforts to protect the city’s architectural legacy.
