Flood row: Didi blocks entry of J’khand trucks Trucks seen in a long queue on National Highway 19 in Dhanbad after the West Bengal-Jharkhand border sealed by the Mamata Banerjee government. The heavy vehicles are stuck at the border after the Bengal government restricted their entry in protest against the release of water from two dams in the neighbouring state, which resulted in flooding of parts of Bengal | PTI | P10 KOZHIKODE l saturday l September 21, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Malayalam cinema loses mother’s warmth E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi KAVIYOOR pONNAMMA  10 SEPT 1945 - 20 SEPT 2024 Actor Kaviyoor Ponnamma, known for portraying the mother of lead actors in hundreds of Malayalam films, passed away in Kochi on Friday She was 79. . Ponnamma, who acted in over 700 Malayalam films over 60 years, was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi on September 3 after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Born in Kaviyoor, a village in Pathanamthitta, in 1945, Ponnamma began her artistic journey as a singer. However, destiny led her to acting, where she would embody the quintes- Unconstitutional: HC strikes down amended IT Rules They violate Article 14 & 19 of Constitution, says HC’s tie-breaker judge A S Chandurkar Petitioners E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, Editors Guild of India, News Broadcast and Digital Association, and Association of Indian Magazines filed petitions opposing the move to set up Fact Checking Units Govt’s view The Centre told the Bombay High Court on July 24 that the right to know factually correct information and the right to not be misled were equally important as the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) @ Mumbai tHE Bombay High Court on Friday struck down the amended Information Technology Rules, specifically Rule 3, which empowered the Central government to form fact checking units (FCUs) to deal with “fake, false, or misleading” content about the government on social media and online platforms. The ‘tiebreaker’ verdict was delivered by Justice A S Chandurkar. The amended rules violated several constitutional provisions, including Article 14 (right to equality), Article 19 (freedom of speech and expression), and Article 19(1)(g) (freedom to practice any profession), Justice A S Chandurkar held. Rule 3(1)(b)(5)—the provision dealing with the establishment of FCUs—was ultra vires to the Constitution, he judge added. The case was referred to Justice Chandurkar following a split verdict in the matter by a bench of Justices G S Patel and Neela Gokhale in January this year. While Justice Patel struck down Rule 3 citing concerns about the potential for censorship of user content, Justice Gokhale took the view that the amended rules did not impact free speech significantly . The division bench also differed on whether a stay should be granted to the setting up of the FCU pending the hearing by a third judge. Justice Patel said the FCU should not be notified until the matter was heard by a third judge, while Justice Gokhale said it could be notified. Following this, High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyay appointed Justice Chandurkar to provide a tie-breaking opinion on the case. EXPRESS READ Tirupati laddu row: Centre seeks probe Hyderabad: Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar has called for a probe into the allegations, including use of adulterated ghee in making the ‘laddu prasadam’, corruption and attempts to promote other religions at Tirupati Balaji temple. P7 Suspected mpox case reported in Kannur Kannur: A 31-year-old woman who returned Abu Dhabi earlier this month was admitted to Kanur Medical College Hospital on Friday after showing symptoms of mpox. Her samples have been sent to the Kozhikode MCH for confirmation. P2 sential mother—loving, kind, and compassionate. Ponnamma was just 14 when she acted in Thoppil Bhasi’s drama, Mooladhanam, in late 1950s. She made her Malayalam film debut in 1962 with Sreerama Pattabhishekam directed by G K Ramu. She was part of the KPAC drama troupe as well. The next year, in 1965, 20-year-old Ponnamma played the mother of actors Sathyan and Madhu in Thommante Makkal. The role would become a defining aspect of her six-decade-long career. Through iconic characters like Sharada teacher in Amma Ammayiamma (1998), Unni- Cremation today Ponnamma’s mortal remains will be kept at Kalamassery Municipal Townhall from 9am to noon on Saturday for public to pay homage, and cremation will be held at 4pm at her residence in Aluva. amma in Nandanam (2002), and Meenakshiamma in Baba Kalyani (2006), Ponnamma showcased the selfless love and forgiveness of mothers. Though typecast as a mother figure, she explored nega- E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Mumbai Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday expressed confidence in the BJP winning 100 seats on its own in the forthcoming assembly elections in November. He attributed his confidence to the slew of development projects his government initiated across the state. Fadnavis was speaking at the first edition of The New Indian Express’ Mumbai Dialogues — a platform for exchange of ideas on politics, economy and other social issues — in Mumbai. However, Opposition leaders did not share Fadnavis’ From left: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray and Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala participating in the first edition of The New Indian Express’ Mumbai Dialogues, in Mumbai on Friday optimism. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray shared his concern over Maharashtra losing several development and job-generating projects to Gujarat during the current regime. The event was also attended by Congress MLA and Maharashtra Congress in-charge Saseendran on way out of Pinarayi 2.0, may head state NCP AR U N M @Kochi It’s final. Forest Minister A K Saseendran’s fate has been sealed, he’s on his way out making way for Kuttanad MLA Thomas K Thomas to be the NCP’s nominee in the state cabinet. The decision was taken at a top-level meeting that party president Sharad Pawar convened in Mumbai on Friday sources said. As quid pro , quo, Saseendran is likely to be made the NCP state president. However, a formal announcement will be made only after the state NCP leaders meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and officially convey the party’s decision, they said. The decision to replace the minister should also A K Saseendran get approval from the LDF. Though Thomas, brother of the late Thomas Chandy had managed to garner support from , the NCP it was the stand of the CPM, especial, ly Pinarayi, that proved to be a stumbling block for his ministerial aspirations. Saseendran had threatened to quit as MLA if he was forced to step down from the minister’s office. The CM had warned the NCP that in such a scenario Pawar’s party would be left with only one MLA, and it was not necessary that it should be considered for a cabinet berth.  ● More on P7 Local pharmacies to help govt identify outbreaks through drug usage patterns Local pharmacists in Kerala are set to play a crucial role in detecting outbreaks of infectious diseases in their communities, as the health department looks to involve them in disease surveillance efforts. The Drugs Control Department (DCD) aims to transform nearly 27,000 licensed pharmacies across the state into ‘Sentinel Pharmacies’, which would report drug purchases. The DCD is developing a framework to accredit these pharmacies, which will help identify unusual patterns in medicine usage. “A sentinel network will enable us to detect disproportionate use of medications,” said a source. Historically, health sentinel networks have relied on data from pri- ma) who falls in love with a musician. In an interview, Ponnamma revealed she dubbed for all her characters, believing no one else could do her roles justice. The actor bagged the state film awards four times: in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1994. She appeared in about 20 television serials from 1997 to 2018, and even sang for a few films. She was most noted for playing the mother of actor Mohanlal, appearing in over 50 films with him. Ponnamma was married to Maniswami, a film producer. They separated later. The couple has a daughter Bindhu Maniswami. Sad note An important chapter in Malayalam cinema comes to a close with the passing of Kaviyoor Ponnamma, who embodied the essence of motherhood on screen for decades Pinarayi Vijayan I never had to act as a son but was truly living the characters of the films we did together. The films in which Ponnamma chechi gave me a mother’s affection are unending. That affection will forever be etched in my memory Mohanlal Maharashtra BJP will hit century: Fadnavis s t r o n g er S u r v e i l l a n c e U nn i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram tive roles in films like Thinkalaazhcha Nalla Divasam (1985), Oppol (1981), and Karinizhal (1971), acknowledging later that the roles drew criticism. Nakhangal (1973), Satyavan Savithri (1977), Kodiyettam (1977), Kireedam (1989) Dasharatham (1989), Chenkol ( 1993), Vatsalyam (1993) and Aanum Pennum (2021) are her other notable works. The year 1977 was the busiest for Ponnamma as she appeared in around 25 films. Ponnamma also tried her hand at producing movies, and in 2009, came up with Meghatheertham, a film about a violinist (played by Ponnam- mary care physicians and hospitals, often overlooking the expertise of community pharmacists in drug-related matters. The new network aims to address this by enabling earlier interventions. “Fever is a common symptom of many communicable diseases. Many people visit a pharmacy for fever medication before seeing a doctor. By Potential challenges Welcoming the proposal, All Kerala Chemists & Druggists Association state president A N Mohan urged the Drugs Control Department to take pharmacies into confidence before implementing the project. O C Naveen Chand, president of Kerala State Pharmacy Council, highlighted potential challenges, noting some pharmacies might be hesitant to share sales data. including pharmacies in the sentinel surveillance network, we can track spikes in medications like paracetamol, which may signal an outbreak. This approach allows for early intervention based on regional drug utilisation patterns,” said Dr Viswanathan K V, joint director (Medicine), Directorate of Medical Education. The health department also intends to enhance drug dispensation practices through proper counselling and educating the public on the rational and safe use of medicines. The Union government has agreed to fund the initiative based on the DCD’s proposal. The department plans to develop software for pharmacies to update drug information and has initiated discussions with pharmacy organisations. Accreditation by the DCD is expected to enhance the pharmacies’ credibility among the public. Ramesh Chennithala, Rajya Sabha member of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) Milind Deora and film director Kiran Rao. Chennithala listed the failures of the Maharashtra government and expressed confidence that the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would come to power in the state. The counterpoint came from Milind Deora who said during the MVA’s rule, infrastructure development of Mumbai city came to a standstill due to internal politics. In contrast, under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, infrastructure projects like coastal road, Atal Sethu and airport at Navi Mumbai came up and got completed, he said. Two sessions on economy, banking and equity markets discussed the challenges ahead, particularly those on job creation. “Creating jobs is the most critical aspect to sustain the current growth rate, which will lead to the country becoming a middle income economy said banker Keki M ,” Mistry. The for mer Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of HDFCsaid while the economy is on a solid footing growing at over 7%, to sustain this level of growth “we need to create more jobs”. To a question on the controversies around the Sebi chairman, he said the country’s regulatory framework is extremely strong and robust.