The steel city is Covid-19-free so far, but fear of the contagion is growing among its residents, given how the infection graph is rising in the state.

Some Jamshedpur residents on Sunday expressed concern about local MLA and health minister Banna Gupta’s frequent trips between red zone Ranchi and green zone Jamshedpur.

Gupta who is a Congress legislator from Jamshedpur West stays at his official residence in Ranchi for a major part of the week, but returns to his Kadma home in Jamshedpur almost every week with his entourage, including security personnel.

“Being the health minister, Gupta must be going to Covid-19 hotspots. We respect the nature of his job. But what is the point of his visit to his home in Jamshedpur every Saturday from a red zone in ranchi to Jamshedpur which is still a green zone,” asked Pritam Singh, a Mango resident and businessman.

Another resident said that not just the minister, his security staff, driver and personal assistant also come to Jamshedpur. “It is not that we don’t understand the responsibilities of the health minister, but we are concerned about our own safety too.”

No one from the health department commented on this. “Please do not ask me to comment on the activities of the health minister,” Dr Rameshwar Prasad, East Singhbhum civil surgeon, said.

Health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said: “Better ask the health minister as to why he frequently goes to a green zone from a red zone.”

Gupta did not respond to the calls of The Telegraph despite repeated attempts.

The minister’s personal assistant Manoj Jha said that Gupta came to his Kadma home on Saturday and would return to Ranchi on Monday.

“I can assure you that Guptaji maintains all safety protocol while doing his duty, and so do we,” Jha said.