Madan Mitra (from left, standing on dais), Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Partha Chatterjee and Krishna Chakraborty at the launch of the bus service on Tuesday. (Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya)

Information and technology minister Partha Chatterjee and his Trinamul colleagues were puffed up with pride on Tuesday after unveiling 20 air-conditioned buses for the city’s tech hub — Salt Lake Sector V and New Town.

So what if Chatterjee couldn’t bring Infosys to Bengal or these new buses were idling in garages for the past four years because the authorities hadn’t found a franchisee worthy enough to be given the keys? Still, when the fleet was finally flagged off, the minister didn’t fail to put it on the “achievement” list of the Mamata Banerjee government’s two years in power.

“People can notice the changes that have taken place in the past two years in Sector V and New Town. Companies are happy to work here. Infrastructure is in place but transportation was a problem. We solved that today. This is a major achievement of the government on the first day after completing two years in power,” Chatterjee said outside Technopolis in Sector V amid claps from a dais packed with Trinamul who’s who.

Urban development minister Firhad Hakim, transport minister Madan Mitra, MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, MLAs Sabyasachi Dutta, Sujit Bose and Sultan Singh, chairman of the Salt Lake municipality Krishna Chakraborty and several local leaders graced the function that could have rivalled any welcome ceremony for an IT giant in Sector V.

Close to 1,15,000 people working in the city’s IT sector depend on shuttle taxis and ragtag arrangements in the absence of a dedicated transport system.

The government has been forced to intervene as most private operators have declined to operate on the route citing low commuter volume.

“With the introduction of the buses, people in the IT hub will have to depend less on private vehicles, taxis and the shuttle service,” said Alapan Bandopadhyay, transport secretary and chairman of the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority.

“Passengers will be given water bottles and wet tissues in the first month,” he added.

The service, comprising three Volvo and 17 Tata Marco Polo AC buses, will be available from Wednesday between Unitech in New Town Action Area III and four destinations — Sealdah, Ultadanga, Howrah and Joka.

The Tata bus fare chart says Rs 15 for the first 5km, increasing at Rs 5 for every 5km. For the Volvo buses, passengers will have to pay Rs 20 for the first 5km. Thereafter, they will have to shell out Rs 5 for every 2km.

A senior representative of Blue Horizon Bus Lines Private Limited, the operator that will run the buses in contract with the government, said the service would be available from 6am to 10.30pm. “The first bus will start from Unitech at 5.55am.”

A government advertisement on Tuesday said the buses would ply between 6am and 12 noon and between 6pm and midnight.

Sonal Saraogi, who works in an IT company in Unitech, welcomed the bus service. “I often have to wait for over 30 minutes for a shuttle cab to reach either Ultadanga or Chingrihata to board a bus to take me to my BB Ganguly Street home.”

Others felt that the fleet was too small and too late. “One needs a good transport plan to carry such a huge pool of people,” a commuter said.

A senior executive with an IT company said: “With just 20 buses, the government patting its back. Ministers are blowing the trumpet because they have nothing else to crow about on development.”