District admin may supervise delayed Dr John Berry White museum project: DC
2
Dibrugarh: Dibrugarh DC Bikram Kairi on Thursday said efforts are being intensified to complete the remaining work of the long-delayed Dr John Berry White Heritage Museum, with the aim of ensuring its early inauguration.
The ambitious project, which seeks to preserve and convert the historic Dr John Berry White Medical School into a heritage museum, has been in progress for seven and a half years — far exceeding its initial 15-month deadline. The 125-year-old building, a cornerstone of medical education in the northeast, was slated for transformation under a Rs 2.1 crore initiative funded by Oil India Limited (OIL) and executed by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
However, repeated delays have stalled its completion.
D
uring a recent inspection, Kairi said an expert team of engineers identified several deficiencies in the ongoing work carried out by INTACH. He added that a meeting between the implementing agency, the district administration, and the project's core committee, which was formed to oversee the project's development, will soon be held to address the issues.
"We will hold a meeting after Aug 15. If required, the committee will be dissolved. The district administration will directly monitor the work as this project holds deep sentimental value for the people of Dibrugarh. We will ensure that the project is finished early. Most of the work has been completed. We intend to inaugurate the museum at the earliest possible time," Kairi said.
The Dr John Berry White Medical School, established in 1900 — four years after the death of its benefactor, British surgeon Dr John Berry White — holds immense historical significance.
It was the first institution of its kind in the northeast, laying the foundation for modern medical education in the region.
Dr White, who served in Assam for 24 years, donated his life savings of fifty thousand rupees — equivalent to nearly Rs 10 crore today — to establish the school. The institution later became the precursor to the Assam Medical College in 1947, now one of the premier medical colleges in the northeast.
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