The Chandigarh administration's department of culture has prepared a new standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent the auction of heritage furniture abroad. Along with this, a system for a nodal officer has also been put in place.

This step has been taken following an auction conducted by Paris Oise Encheres in Paris on 25 October. During that auction held in France, seven out of nine heritage lots were sold, while two remained unsold.

Role of the nodal officer

The nodal officer of the culture department will continuously monitor the catalogs of foreign auction houses and their activities.

The main objective of this new arrangement is to reduce the time gap between receiving information about an auction and initiating legal action against it. However, the preparation of the new SOP does not completely ensure the stoppage of every foreign auction, as it depends on the local laws of the respective country.