Renu Raj, former District Collector of Alappuzha, took charge as the 33rd District Collector of Ernakulam on Wednesday. She will replace Jafar Malik who has been appointed as the Director of Information and Public Relations department with additional charge as the Director of Mining and Geology.
A communication from the Public Relations department said that she would interact with people’s representatives, the Kochi Corporation and other agencies to address problems facing the district.
Additional District Magistrate S. Shahjahan received the new Collector, who had arrived with her father M.K. Rajakumaran Nair, mother V.N. Latha and sister Ramya Raj. Her father-in-law Venkitaraman and mother-in-law Rajam were also present when she took charge, said the communication.
The outgoing Collector, Jafar Malik, gave a new face to emergency management in the district by establishing a 24-hour facility for managing any emergency situation, including floods, in the district. A videoconferencing system for managing emergencies was among the initiatives implemented during his time.