Dibrugarh: Dr John Berry White Heritage Museum in Dibrugarh remains unopened more than two months after its scheduled July 1 inauguration.The inauguration was postponed. Dibrugarh mayor Dr Saikat Patra said on Friday that no fresh date has been fixed.“There were some issues because of which the inauguration could not be held on July 1. No new date has been fixed yet. Once the issues are resolved, a date will be decided,” Patra added.The museum’s upkeep has raised concerns. One section of its iron entrance gate has collapsed. Creepers and vines have overgrown the campus.The Rs 2.1-crore restoration project, funded by Oil India Limited and executed by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, began in Jan 2018 with a 15-month target. Though conservation work was substantially completed several years ago, administrative, technical and procedural issues delayed the opening.Dr John Berry White, a British surgeon who served in Assam for 24 years, donated Rs 50,000 to establish a medical institution in Dibrugarh. Berry White Medical School was established in 1900 and eventually paved the way for Assam Medical College in 1947.“The continued delay in opening the museum is disappointing. It is unfortunate that even after the restoration and repeated announcements, people still cannot visit the museum. The district administration needs to take the matter seriously,” said Dr Shekhar Jyoti Baruah, a physician and long-time resident of Dibrugarh.With no inauguration date fixed as of Sept 4, the wait continues.
