Dima Hasao: Did A CM-Inaugurated Orphan Home Turned A Hotel?

A building meant to house orphaned and destitute children in Assam’s Dima Hasao district — constructed with nearly Rs 3 crore of public money and inaugurated by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in 2021 — has allegedly been converted into a hotel. The revelation has sparked outrage and raised serious questions about the misuse of central and state government funds.

The facility, located at Boro Haflong near Jatinga, around 6 km from Haflong town, was officially inaugurated as a Home for Orphans and Destitute Children, complete with staff quarters and a vocational training centre. However, former MAC (Member of Autonomous Council) Daniel Langthasa has now alleged that the structure is being run as a commercial hotel under the name Hading Hotel.

“The building that was inaugurated by the CM himself for orphans is now functioning as a hotel. This is nothing less than betrayal of public trust,” Langthasa told Pratidin Time.

A Welfare Project Disappears — And a Hotel Appears

Langthasa claims the project was sanctioned on 29 June 2013 during the Congress regime under the NLCPR scheme for the year 2009–10. The total approved amount was Rs 2.98 crore — Rs 268.63 lakh from the Centre and Rs 29.85 lakh from the State — meant for building a two-storey orphanage, a three-storey vocational training centre, quarters for staff and principal, and a medical inspection room.

The site at Boro Haflong was chosen, the construction carried out by the PWD (Buildings) Department, and the completed structure was officially handed over to the Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Department on May 13, 2021. Barely two months later, the grand inauguration took place — led by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and attended by Debolal Gorlosa, Nandita Gorlosa, Pijush Hazarika, and Tuliram Ronghang.

But what followed, Langthasa claims, was a silent, calculated shift.

From Orphanage to Hotel — Behind the Scenes

Langthasa says he got inside information that the building’s interiors were being redesigned for hotel use. When he visited the site, he found parts of the building being demolished and reconstructed. “Labourers there told me a contractor from Guwahati was doing the work and that it was being turned into a hotel,” he revealed.

He filed an RTI on February 17, 2022, asking the Social Welfare Department for details about the current status of the building, the contractor involved, and reasons why no orphans were ever housed there. He also demanded to know whether the structure was being officially converted into a hotel.

No proper response was ever given, he says. “The only reply I received was from PWD (Buildings) stating the building had been handed over to the council,” Langthasa said.

The 'Cover-Up': Makeshift Orphanage in Hadingma School?

To distract public attention from the original site, Langthasa alleges, the authorities hastily renovated an Assam-type house inside Hadingma High School and re-inaugurated it in 2022 as the new orphan home.

“They used an existing school building, did some quick renovations, and declared it the new orphanage. Meanwhile, the original structure near Jatinga — built with crores of public money — was quietly transformed into a hotel,” he said.

Tourist-friendly elements like an “I Love Dimasa” park, a public temple, and decorative landscaping were added around the original site to make it appear like a tourism project — while hotel interiors were being built inside, he alleged.

Official Records Confirm the Original Purpose

According to the original Utilisation Certificate under the NLCPR scheme:

• Project Name: Construction of Home for Orphans and Destitute Children at Haflong
• Approved Cost: Rs 298.48 lakh
• Date of Sanction: 29/06/2013
• Location: Boro Haflong, near Jatinga
• Approved by: Ministry of DoNER under NLCPR
• Fund Source: Rs 268.63 lakh (Central), Rs 29.85 lakh (State)

The Handing Over Note dated May 13, 2021, lists detailed specifications, including a 2-storey orphan home (1006 sq. m), 3-storey vocational centre, Assam-type principal quarter, MI room, and staff quarters.

Langthasa asked five direct questions in his RTI:

1. What construction is ongoing at the orphan home site?

2. Who is the contractor?

3. Why were no children moved in post-inauguration?

4. Has the building been converted into a hotel?

5. Provide the official handover letter from PWD.

None of these questions, he says, were answered transparently.

Who Owns the Hotel?

The hotel in question — Hading Hotel — has already been inaugurated, by CEM Debolal Gorlosa. However, when asked whether the property falls under the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, the Assam Tourism Department, or a private player, Langthasa responded: “That information is not yet available.”

A Grave Allegation of Misuse

At the heart of the controversy lies a grave allegation — that a project meant for the care and rehabilitation of orphaned children has been diverted into a commercial venture, possibly robbing the district of a crucial welfare institution.

Langthasa calls it a betrayal of the people’s faith: “The money was meant for children with no home. Instead, it was used to build a hotel. And to hide it, they shifted the orphanage to an old house inside a school. This is beyond corruption — it’s exploitation.”

The question remains — who gave the go-ahead to turn an orphanage into a hotel?

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