Latest news with #JohnBerryWhiteMedicalSchool
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
District admin may supervise delayed Dr John Berry White museum project: DC
1 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.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Restoration done, but Dr John Berry White Museum still a far cry
1 2 Dibrugarh: Seven and a half years after restoration work began, the proposed heritage museum at Dr John Berry White Medical School in Dibrugarh remains in limbo — caught in bureaucratic delays and procedural lapses. The 125-year-old building, which laid the foundation for medical education in northeast India, was to be converted into a museum under a Rs 2.1 crore initiative funded by Oil India Limited and executed by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). Though INTACH claims the restoration is complete, the site hasn't been handed over to the Dibrugarh district administration due to pending joint inspections and missing technical documentation. A recent RTI reply revealed that the required inspection by officials from PWD (building & electrical), OIL, and INTACH couldn't be conducted as INTACH failed to submit the final plan and technical sanction. Officials confirmed that a Jan 2025 handover attempt was declined overdue diligence concerns. The project, originally slated for completion within 15 months of the MoU signed in Jan 2018, has seen repeated delays. BCPL also contributed Rs 15 lakh for boundary wall construction, and a core committee formed in Aug 2018 oversaw the museum plan, involving district officials and medical professionals. The site commemorates British surgeon Dr John Berry White, who donated Rs 50,000 -- equivalent to nearly Rs 10 crore today -- to establish the medical school in 1900. It later evolved into the Assam Medical College in 1947. With no clear timeline for inspection or handover, the restored building remains shuttered.
