Chandigarh administration seems to have missed creating an ‘inventory’ for Le Corbusier furniture.
CHANDIGARH
The negligence and apparent failure of the Chandigarh administration in safeguarding World Heritage and their incompetence in properly addressing official correspondence with the French Government have become an issue. On Wednesday, the police attaché at the French embassy in India disclosed that a 2011 Central government notification pertaining to Chandigarh’s heritage items was considered insufficient in combating the smuggling of rare items. This was highlighted by Fabrice Cotelle, the police attaché with the French Embassy in India. The Sunday Guardian had interacted with Cotelle on this.
Cotelle, whose role parallels that of a police commissioner in India, strongly recommended, during a conversation with DGP (UT) Praveer Ranjan and SSP (UT) Kanwardeep Kaur, among others, that the Chandigarh administration should systematically engage with France. He suggested building their case on substantial evidence related to the thefts and frequent auctions of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture crafted by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret.
The Chandigarh administration seems to have missed the memo on creating an “inventory” for the world heritage Le Corbusier furniture. What is even more baffling is their inability, despite being a “smart city”, to grasp such a straightforward concept for decades, resulting in the disappearance of this cherished heritage furniture into thin air.
Cotelle emphasised that the 2011 MHA notification regarding Chandigarh’s heritage items lacked the necessary measures to thwart smuggling and prevent the auction of these items in France. Cotelle stressed the urgency of creating a comprehensive and accurate inventory of all heritage furniture items in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana, and providing this inventory to the French embassy.
Cotelle mentioned that a detailed report, originating from a French delegation’s visit to Chandigarh the previous year, was forwarded to the office of the Chief Minister of Punjab in March.
He expressed surprise at discovering that the Punjab CM had limited involvement in the matter, as the French Embassy primarily communicates with Chief Ministers’ Offices.
In a subsequent discussion with The Sunday Guardian, Cotelle highlighted the case of Eric Touchaleaume, a French national who acquired hundreds of heritage furniture items at nominal prices auctioned at Panjab University in 1999. Touchaleaume, still active in France, possesses valid documents regarding the purchased furniture, a scenario observed in various instances when auction houses in France provide documents demonstrating the legal procurement of items from India.
Regarding his meeting with DGP Praveer Ranjan and SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, Cotelle mentioned that eight cases related to heritage item theft had been registered in Chandigarh since 2015. Although some cases were under active investigation, Cotelle was assured that details of these cases would be shared with the French authorities. However, without concrete information from their counterparts, pursuing leads remains challenging.
When questioned about the possibility of heritage items designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret existing outside Chandigarh, Cotelle expressed a belief that many such items might be elsewhere without records. He cited an example where Pierre Jeanneret was tasked with producing 200 chairs, later increased to 300, yet the records weren’t updated, leaving uncertainty about the whereabouts of the additional 100 chairs.
Advocate Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Item Protection Committee (HPIC), who accompanied Cotelle, mentioned that the French official conveyed his concerns to the police officers, who assured him of providing necessary assistance. Subsequently, Cotelle also met UT Administrator-cum-Governor of Punjab, Banwarilal Purohit.
The 2011 MHA notification banned the sale and export of such furniture. It emphasised the importance of preserving these valuable heritage items, stressing that if they suffered wear and tear, they should be carefully conserved and repaired rather than sold. The removal and sale of these specially designed items by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret from their intended buildings abroad were deemed a significant loss of heritage that needed to be stopped.