At least three heritage furniture items reportedly belonging to the Punjab MLA Hostel, Punjab Secretariat and erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board, besides a bed bearing a PGIMER identification marking, are set to go under the hammer in Chicago on August 13.Advocate Ajay Jagga, a member of the UT Heritage Protection Cell, has urged Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal and Union Health Minister JP Nadda to intervene immediately and prevent the auction of the items.In a representation, Jagga alleged that heritage furniture from Chandigarh and Punjab had repeatedly surfaced at auctions abroad. He referred to the sale of two Vidhan Sabha tables in 2021 for Rs 13.36 lakh and the auction of a pair of chairs from the MLA Hostel for Rs 37.40 lakh in Chicago on June 4 this year.He urged the authorities to take legal, administrative and diplomatic measures to prevent the upcoming auction of the heritage items in Chicago.The representation also raised questions over the ownership of the bed reportedly carrying a PGIMER identification marking. Jagga sought verification of the institute’s inventory records to establish whether the item was ever officially sold or disposed of. He sought an inquiry into who removed it from the institute and facilitated its movement overseas.He urged PGIMER to immediately verify the provenance of the bed and, if it is confirmed to be institute property, approach the authorities concerned in the US through the Indian Embassy to prevent its sale and establish how it reached the Chicago auction house.The representation cited Article 49 of the Constitution, concerning the protection of monuments, places and objects of national importance from spoliation, removal, disposal or export, as well as Article 51A(f), which calls upon citizens to value and preserve India’s rich cultural heritage.