Collector 'bro' shifted out of Kozhikode

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state cabinet on Wednesday replaced Kozhikode district collector N Prasanth with U V Jose, the present tourism director.
Prasanth, who enjoys a massive following in the social media and is refered to as 'collector bro' by his fans, was given a show cause notice by chief secretary S M Vijayanand recently following a complaint from Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan.
Raghavan had complained to the chief minister against the tough stand taken by the district collector over the spending of funds under the members of parliament local area development scheme (MPLADS).
There were even incidents of open confrontation between Prasanth and Raghavan which is learnt to have cost him dear.
The chief secretary had served a notice to Prasanth stating that he had been charged with misconduct over his public confrontation with Raghavan.
There are also reports that the chief secretary's action is in the backdrop of Prasanth refusing to join hands with other IAS officers in the strike as part of their fight against vigilance director Jacob Thomas.
The several innovative schemes initiated by Prasanth in the district has earned him a huge fan following in the social media.
He had even launched a Facebook page in which he used to interact with the people directly on various issues. He had also initiated stringent revenue recovery procedures in the district which had upset several influential people.