DIBRUGARH, Jan 10 - The long pending public demand for conservation and restoration of Dr John Berry White Medical School here is going to be fulfilled as the century-old decaying structure is soon going to get renovated with an estimated cost of over Rs 2 crore.
Oil India Limited (OIL) has stepped in to fund the entire renovation and restoration works of the abandoned medical school building as part of its CSR initiative. OIL will spend Rs 2.01 crore for the conservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of the structure.
The renovation works will be undertaken by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). As per the plans, the renovated structure will have a medical museum, information desk and souvenir shop, period room, library and an exhibition area.
In a tripartite partnership, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed today among OIL, Dibrugarh district administration and INTACH here today. Following signing of the MoU, it is expected that the renovation works will commence soon as OIL has already released the initial instalment as mobilisation fund.
It may be recalled that the Berry White Medical School located at Graham Bazar here was established in 1900 by British philanthropist Dr John Berry White. Dr White was a retired Brigadier of the British Army who later served as the Civil Surgeon in the erstwhile Lakhimpur district which had its headquarters in Dibrugarh.
He had spent all his hard earned money to establish the Berry White Medical School, which started the allopathic medical education by awarding LMP (Licentiate Medical Practitioner), besides nursing. The medical school was later upgraded to the full-fledged Assam Medical College (AMC) in 1947.
Considering its historical and archaeological significance for being instrumental in establishing the first medical institute of the Northeast and helping the people of the region in its all-round development, several organisations, NGOs, local citizens, besides medical fraternity and others had placed demands time and again before the authorities concerned for its conservation.
Dr Ranjit Baruah, a past pupil of the AMC, who now lives in the UK and whose father Muktinath Baruah was an LMP from the erstwhile Berry White Medical School, expressed his joy at the conservative initiative of the district administration and OIL.
Several others, who spoke on the occasion, said conservation of the Berry White Medical School will be a great respect and honour to the philanthropist who took keen interest in serving the people of the region by providing education and medical aid.
Pranjit Deka, Executive Director (HR&A), OIL signed the MoU on behalf of OIL, while Dr Aradhana Kotoky, State Convenor of INTACH signed on behalf of the INTACH.
OIL has also agreed to spend another Rs 1.80 crore for construction of 1,500 individual household toilets in Dibrugarh district. The District Water and Sanitation Committee (DWSC) has agreed to execute the project and construct the toilets. In this connection another MoU was signed among OIL, DWSC and District Development Commissioner.