PAC Orders Probe Into Orphanage Turned Hotel in Dima Hasao

The Assam Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered an investigation into the shocking conversion of a ₹2.98 crore government-funded orphanage into a luxury hotel in Dima Hasao district. The move follows a formal complaint by former council leaders Daniel Langthasa and Samarjit Hafiongbar, who termed it a “financial crime” and a “betrayal of public trust.”

On Wednesday, the signboard of the hotel — operating under the name Hading Hotel — was seen being removed, a symbolic move after the outrage. But activists say this is just the beginning. “We demand a full and fair probe, and we demand that the ₹2.98 crore be used for the orphans — for their home, their care, and their future,” Langthasa said in a social media video.

The facility, located at Boro Haflong near Jatinga, was sanctioned in 2013 under the NLCPR scheme and completed in 2021 with central and state funds. On July 26, 2021, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated it as a “Home for Orphans and Destitute Children.” Just four years later, on July 27, 2025, the same building was re-inaugurated as a hotel by NCHAC CEM Debolal Gorlosa.

In a letter to the PAC Chairman, the two former leaders alleged deep-rooted collusion between government departments and misuse of public funds. The Congress has also stepped in. Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia wrote to Union DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, calling for a CBI probe and a CAG audit. He cited violations of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including cheating, conspiracy, and public servant misconduct.

Adding insult to injury, reports reveal that the children were shifted to a substandard facility in Cotu Wapu — lacking even drinking water or bedding.

The PAC probe is now underway. While the hotel’s signboard may be gone, the public anger remains. As Langthasa put it, “Justice means the children must get what was always meant for them.”

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