Initially, a proposal was floated for three parking sites in Sector 41, behind Dhillon Complex in Manimajra and Pocket No 1 of Manimajra. The proposal for Pocket No 1 was later rejected because of its proximity to a cremation ground.

While one of the parking lot is planned behind the Dhillon Complex, the other will come up at Sector 41 (outer road behind Petrol Pump), MC officials said. The proposal was first mooted in 2004.

The MC officials claimed the new parking lots for tourist buses would ease the problem of unauthorised parking of buses.

According to MC sources, the parking facility in Sector 41 and Manimajra will have a capacity to accommodate around 140 buses.

“The parking in Manimajra will cater to the need of tourist buses heading towards Shimla and Solan in Himachal Pradesh, while the other will be useful for coaches plying between Punjab and Chandigarh besides Kullu-Manali,” officials said.

The UT Chief Architect, around a year-and-a-half back, had approved the proposal which was then withheld by the MC for a parking area in Sarangpur on 10 acres of land.

At present, about 135 tourist buses operate from the city for destinations like Manali, Dharamshala, Jammu and Delhi from Sector 22. The unauthorised parking of these buses in front of houses and the Hotel Lane in Sector 22 has been creating problem for both the residents and commuters alike.