Chandigarh, July 15 -- In the second such instance within weeks, the UT administration has sought the urgent intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to stop the suspected auction of city's heritage furniture in the United States and Spain.

This comes after a similar move on June 24 when the MEA managed to stop the auction of two Chandigarh-linked furniture - a Pierre Jeanneret teak-and-cane armchair marked "PU Chem/55" and another armchair bearing "PGI/W/CH-0202" - in Paris, France, at the request of UT.

The latest items listed for auction include a set of desk and chair, belonging to Swiss-French architect Pierre Jeanneret, the cousin of Le Corbusier, who was instrumental in shaping Chandigarh. The two pieces bear the or...