Government takes over One Constitution Avenue for five-star hotel

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that the government has taken legal possession of One Constitution Avenue in Islamabad and will convert the building into a five-star hotel within a few months.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Naqvi said ownership had passed to the government and work would be completed as early as possible. He said the prime minister had ordered an impartial inquiry into the project, in line with a promise he had made.

Express News reported that Naqvi told the same press conference that the One Constitution Avenue report had been presented at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, that action had been taken on its basis and that the Joint Investigation Team's report had been approved.

Naqvi said affectees of the project would be paid according to their investment, and that a multinational company would be engaged to estimate the value of the property. Express News quoted him as saying that whichever amount is due to anyone would be paid.

The building was vacated in May this year after the Islamabad High Court upheld the Capital Development Authority's decision to cancel the lease. The court recorded that the main ground for cancellation was non-payment of billions of rupees in dues.

The plot was allotted to a private group about two decades ago on the condition that a five-star hotel would be built there. The plan was later changed to residential apartments and commercial units, which officials described as a breach of the original agreement. The CDA said the absence of a hotel in the Red Zone created administrative and logistical problems during state visits, foreign delegations and diplomatic events.

It is still unclear what arrangements will be made for people living in the building and for owners and tenants of its commercial units.

Naqvi also promised to remove all encroachments in Islamabad. He said no police station or other building would be allowed on the city's green belts, that any structure or quarters standing on government land would be vacated without exception, and that land at the site of the planned safari park would be cleared regardless of who claims it. He said a parking plaza would open soon and more would be built, and that action would also be taken against housing societies.

He asked residents of F-6, F-7, F-8 and F-10 who have extended their lawns beyond the allowed limits to bring them back inside their boundary. Express News quoted him as saying that he could not describe how land had been occupied in Islamabad, and that people had even taken over lawns.