The Durbar Hall and various other buildings in the Quila Mubarak complex may have hundreds of priceless antiquities but there is nothing on record to show their presence. This has resulted in the pilferage of valuable objects.

The Punjab Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums Secretary, Mr D.S. Jaspal, who visited the Quila Mubarak in the wake of three miniature paintings that had gone missing from a painted chamber in the 'Ranwas' building of the fort palace yesterday, said he was surprised to know that there was no existing inventory of the objects of value in the fort complex.

Mr Jaspal, while talking to TNS, said he had got in touch with the Director, Information Technology, and requested for immediate digital cataloguing of all items in the fort palace. He said once the cataloguing was done, it would be put on the website.

It was not only the lack of record, but the absence of security in the fort palace complex which had come in for scrutiny. Mr Jaspal said he had talked to SSP A.S. Rai who accompanied him to the Quila Mubarak today to strengthen the security in the outer complex.

He said the Cultural Affairs Department would use the PESCO security in the inner complex. A detailed security plan was also being drafted in this regard.

He said besides this no register was being maintained detailing visitors going into the inner complex

Deputy Commissioner Tejveer Singh when contacted on this issue said neither any district official nor Ms Gurmeet Rai, who was leading the team of experts on the occasion, informed him of the missing paintings and that he had came to know of the development only after reading about it in The Tribune.

Meanwhile, a FIR had been registered with regard to the missing paintings under Section 380 of the IPC at the Kotwali police station.

Mr Jaspal said besides the FIR, a departmental inquiry had been ordered to establish administrative culpability and also suggest remedial measures.

The missing miniatures were encased in glass in the corners of a dome in the Ranwas chamber.

They are stated to be of the Kangra School and are around 200 years old. The chamber where the robbery took place had been sealed by the ASI.