Govt says Islamabad's One Constitution Avenue to be turned into a five-star hotel
Dawn · News Desk ·
Ahsan Iqbal says the JIT has recommended the project be started anew and auctioned in a transparent manner; Mohsin Naqvi says government to make "rightful payments to occupants".
The federal government on Wednesday said that a joint investigation team had revealed that Islamabad’s One Constitution Avenue was built on “irregularities and rigging” and announced that the residential building will soon be turned into a five-star hotel.
The building, a skyscraper in the federal capital that houses residential apartments, had its lease cancelled by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) due to the company behind the project defaulting on payments. The decision was upheld by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in April.
The building was initially supposed to be a five-star hotel project; however, instead of functioning as a five-star hotel, it was converted into residential apartments and commercial areas. The IHC’s order led to the mass evictions of residents in May, following which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the matter.