Mumbai, Feb 21 (IANS) Maharashtra's first fully air-conditioned bus stand, resembling an airport lounge, was Sunday inaugurated in the Dadar east area here by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Chavan, who also holds the transport portfolio, complimented the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for the project and said that depending on passenger volumes, all bus stands in the state would categorised as A, B, or C groups, and related passenger amenities and facilities will be developed in all the state transport bus stands.

Constructed at a cost of Rs.5 million, the new stand will cater to over 14,000 passengers per day, travelling by 160 air-conditioned and 72 semi-luxury services from here, said MSRTC chairman Sudhakar Paricharak.

The stand has four air-conditioned waiting rooms which can accommodate 100 passengers at a time, with LCD monitors displaying bus timings, arrivals and departures of the buses and 20 CCTV cameras for security.

Comfortable seating, drinking water, rest rooms, newspapers and other facilities have also been provided.

Besides, the bus stand also boasts of an air-conditioned rest room for the drivers, making MSRTC the first state transport undertaking in the country to provide such a facility.

There are separate booking counters for air-conditioned and semi-luxury bus services, computerised booking for the entire state, enquiry and control rooms.

The new bus stand is a far cry from the earlier temporary shed constructed on a pavement on the busy Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in 1982 when the Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai services were introduced.