Assam: No Reply of RTI on Dr John Berry White Medical School Museum Status

A Correspondent

DIBRUGARH: Despite 80-odd days of filing a Right to Information (RTI) application on the status of Dr John Berry White Medical School’s conversion into a museum, no reply from the Dibrugarh district administration has been given to date.

The Sentinel newspaper filed an RTI on February 27, 2025, regarding the status of the project, but the district administration has not provided any reply to the RTI to date. The newspaper also appealed on April 18, 2025, but no reply has been received as yet.

When the news correspondent asked one of the officials of the Dibrugarh district administration regarding the reply of the RTI, the office bearer had given some lame excuse.

Despite seven years of the conversion work of the Dr John Berry White Medical School into a museum, uncertainty prevails regarding the inauguration of the project.

For conversion of Dr John Berry White Medical School into a museum, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Oil India Limited (OIL) and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was signed on January 10, 2018, but the project has missed multiple deadlines, with no clear end in sight.

The Rs 2.1-crore initiative, funded by OIL under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, was originally slated for completion by April 2019. However, as of February 2025, the British-era structure continues to lie abandoned and neglected.

Sources said that Rs 15 lakhs was sanctioned by ONGC for the boundary wall of the Dr John Berry White medical museum.

The Dr John Berry White Medical School, located beside the AT Road in Dibrugarh, holds immense historical significance.

Established in 1900, four years after the death of its founder, Dr John Berry White, the institution marked the beginning of medical education in Northeast India. Dr White, a British surgeon who served in Assam for 24 years under the East India Company, dedicated his life savings to set up the school.

His vision not only laid the foundation for medical education in the region but also paved the way for the establishment of the Assam Medical College in 1947.

Local residents of Dibrugarh have accused INTACH of apathy and mismanagement.

“Seven years have passed, but there is no clear picture of when the project will be inaugurated. The Dr John Berry White medical school was in a neglected state, but in 2018 the MoU was signed between OIL and INTAC. We thought that the project would be soon open to the public, but to date, nothing has changed,” alleged a local resident.

He said, “This is a betrayal of public trust by INTACH. They need to be held accountable for their failure to deliver on their promises. This building represents not just architecture but the foundation of medical education in our region. We’ve watched deadline after deadline pass without any substantial progress.”

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