chandigarh greatly influenced by turn of events over the years real estate prices in the 900metre area under scrutiny in zirakpur have touched the sky one day and bottomed out the next depending on different pronouncements from the municipal corporation mc the indian air force and the courts at any given point in timesample this from an average of rs 1200 per square yard prices shot up to rs 3500 subsequent to the september 5 2001 government notification on inclusion of the area under municipal limitshowever the balloon burst on october 25 2001 after a letter from the air force authorities reiterated the ban on construction up to 900 metres around the airfield the notifications resulted in a 200 per cent change within a period of one and a half months the latest salvo from the punjab chief secretary has once again placed the property dealers and owners of land in villages like bhabat on tenterhookssays karan suri owner of a large plot at bhabat whenever such a notification is issued the property becomes unsaleable under normal circumstances the prices in the controversial area move in the range of rs 1000 to rs 1200this is because of the fact that a large part of the area in the 30 villages has already been developed and the low prices compared to other periphery areas like kansal have drawn buyers says a zirakpurbased property dealeran accommodating approach of the zirakpur corporation which has registeredresidential colonies like preet nagar defence colony akali kaur singh colony and dashmesh colony has had a positive effect on the saleability of plots in the pastsays harbans singh sarpanch of new zamindara property dealers a majority of propery holders in these areas come from middle or lower middle groups the low prices are certainly a big attraction sarpanch says that an astounding 80 per cent of the total area falling within the 900 metres has been developedpeople are being made to suffer due to a confusion prevailing among the government agencies he adds it appears that the residents are in for more sleepless nights in the days to come