State urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya on Friday described the Trinamul Congress’s promise of waiving the water charge as a ploy to hoodwink people.

On Thursday, Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee had announced that Calcutta wouldn’t have to pay for water.

“She is making a false promise. It should also be made clear that under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, users will have to pay water charges. It is a condition laid down by the central scheme,” said Bhattacharya.

The minister said a number of municipalities in the state were levying the charge. “I myself pay Rs 45 every month for drinking water in Siliguri,” he said.

Bhattacharya next crunched some numbers to compare Calcutta with the other metros. Calcutta gets 200 litres water per head per day, Mumbai gets 191 litres, Chennai gets 87 litres, Bangalore 154 litres and Delhi 110 litres. In Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi, all users pay water charges. In Mumbai, 75 per cent users pay water charges. “In Calcutta, it is still one per cent.”

The charge in Chennai is Rs 10.87 per kilolitre, in Mumbai Rs 4.60 and in Bangalore Rs 20.55. But for the handful of Calcuttans who pay the water charge, the rate is Rs 1.13 per kilolitre.