Himanta distances govt from Dima Hasao orphanage-hotel row, cites 6th schedule autonomy

Just days after India Today NE’s exposé on how a government-funded orphanage in Assam’s Dima Hasao district was mysteriously converted into a luxury hotel, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has stepped in. 

A probe has been ordered into the blatant repurposing of public infrastructure meant for some of the state’s most vulnerable children.

In a clear sign of public pressure and official discomfort, the signboard of Hotel Hading, which had replaced the original orphanage in Boro Haflong, was removed earlier today, August 6. Locals say the move came swiftly after the report gained traction and sparked outrage on social media.

The ₹2.98 crore facility, inaugurated in 2021 by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, was built under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme. It was originally envisioned as a comprehensive shelter for orphans and destitute children, complete with vocational training infrastructure and staff quarters.

However, as revealed by India Today NE, the orphanage never became operational. In 2022, it was quietly shifted to Cotu Wapu—where children continue to live in substandard, makeshift conditions, lacking basic amenities like clean drinking water and bedding.

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Then came the bombshell: the original facility was re-inaugurated as a commercial hotel on July 27, 2025, by Debolal Gorlosa, the very official who had presided over its relocation just three years earlier.

Amid mounting questions, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday clarified the state government’s position, distancing himself from the controversy. “We do not interfere in the matters of Dima Hasao,” Sarma said. “You must understand that they are a tribal body; they have full authority and the Assam Legislative Assembly has no right to inquire over any Sixth Schedule area of Assam. They can be investigated only by their own Public Accounts Committee.”

Sarma’s remarks point to the constitutional autonomy granted to tribal autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule, even as the episode raises critical questions about transparency, governance, and misuse of public resources in remote districts.

With the PAC now involved, the spotlight is firmly on how a state-funded welfare facility got commercially repurposed under the radar—and whether more such cases exist in Assam’s hill regions.