No scope for complacency, says new district collector Navjot Khosa

While Navjot Khosa’s focus is on Covid-19 containment, tackling dengue and addressing monsoon-related issues are among immediate challenges 
Navjot Khosa assuming charge as the district collector of Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Outgoing collector K Gopalakrishnan was also present.
Navjot Khosa assuming charge as the district collector of Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Outgoing collector K Gopalakrishnan was also present.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Given the considerable inflow of people, the district administration is working on a strategy to deal with a possible increase in Covid-19 cases. Navjot Khosa said as much on Monday after assuming office as the Thiruvananthapuram District Collector. Taking over from K Gopalakrishnan, the 2012 batch officer is focused on tackling the immediate issues the district faces -- Covid-19, monsoon rain and communicable diseases like dengue and leptospirosis. 

“My primary focus is on the Covid-19 strategy,” Khosa told TNIE.
“We have done well to contain the virus, so far. However, with the lockdown being relaxed, we expect a possible rise in cases and the district administration needs to be prepared to handle such a situation. We are working on it.”Having attended a review meeting on the inaugural day, the district collector expressed confidence that her team is on the right track. But there is no scope for complacency, she said.

“We will ensure that all the instructions given by the health department are followed, and that home quarantine is actually being implemented. There will be a series of meetings happening this week and the process has already started,” Khosa said. The bureaucrat stressed that focusing on the coronavirus pandemic should not come at the expense of tackling diseases like chikungunya, dengue, malaria and leptospirosis. Plans are in place to handle them effectively with the help of the health department, she said.
With the monsoon season beginning in the state and the district receiving considerable rain, measures are being taken to control flooding.

“I have called a meeting of the stakeholders regarding monsoon cleaning and preparatory work. I understand that most of the work is being done already. I will evaluate the situation and give the necessary instructions. I will also visit coastal areas, if possible, this week itself after a briefing with the authorities concerned,” the collector said.  

As an administrative officer, the opportunity to be in charge of a district is a dream come true for Khosa. 
“It is always the dream of an officer to be a district collector. There will never be a perfect time to be in the post. We have to be mentally prepared to take on the mantle any time. I have been in Thiruvananthapuram for a few years now and I have thoroughly enjoyed the city which has given me a lot of experiences. There is a sense of familiarity. Let’s see how I fare as the collector. I am looking forward to my tenure here,” she said.  

Beginning her career in public administration as an assistant collector in Thrissur, Khosa later became a sub-collector in Thalassery and then the food safety commissioner. The Punjab native served as the managing director of the Medical Services Corporation and the National Ayush Mission, Kerala, before her appointment as the Thiruvananthapuram collector. Her husband is an orthodontist working in Qatar and the couple has a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

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