Good morning, Bengaluru!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 28 ℃ | Low: 19 ℃ | Partly cloudy sky towards afternoon or evening.
🧐 Did you know? The Karnataka High Court heard its first-ever PIL in 1982. The PIL was regarding stopping the demolishment of the High Court and was rejected but the Supreme Court intervened in the matter three years later.
🎥 Sampige’s shutdown
Sampige Theatre, the iconic single-screen cinema of Malleshwaram, is set to close after more than 50 years of operation.
What’s it about? The theatre’s partner, Ramesh Nadubeedi Venkatesh, attributed the closure to a combination of rising maintenance costs, declining film revenues, and the growing dominance of multiplexes.
- The theatre, known for hosting energetic Kannada movie premieres, opened in 1976 with the film Makkala Baghya.
- Over the decades, it welcomed legends like Dr Rajkumar and Rajinikanth, becoming a beloved cultural landmark.
Operations continue: Sampige Theatre will continue to operate until a buyer finalises a deal for its prime real estate.
🏑 HAL’s HPC
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced plans to establish the HAL-SAI High-Performance Centre in Bengaluru, in partnership with the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
What’s it about? The Memorandum of Understanding for the project was signed on Saturday, marking a significant step in enhancing athlete training and performance through state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology.
- The upcoming centre, to be located at the SAI Netaji Subhas Southern Centre, will feature advanced facilities for various aspects of athletic development.
- These include anthropometry, biomechanics, exercise biochemistry, sports nutrition, physiology, psychology, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and physiotherapy.
Other CSR: Under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, the company has previously established the HAL-SAI Sports Training Centre in Koraput, Odisha. This centre focuses on training tribal youth in archery, football, and athletics. Additionally, HAL has set up a football academy in Bengaluru, featuring FIFA-standard grounds, aimed at identifying and nurturing young football talent.
🚇 Red line approved
The state cabinet has approved Phase 3A of Namma Metro.
What’s it about? This new Red Line will span 36.59 km, connecting Sarjapur in the southeast to Hebbal in the north. Estimated to cost ₹28,405 crore, the project will now seek union cabinet approval, anticipated by December 2025 or earlier.
- Once approved, construction is expected to take five and a half years, with operations targeted to begin by 2031.
- This expansion will increase Bengaluru’s metro network to 258.79 km.
Route details: The Red Line will feature 28 stations, including 17 elevated and 11 underground, with key interchange stations at Iblur, Agara, Dairy Circle, KR Circle, and Hebbal.
✈️ Bengaluru to Ayodhya
IndiGo Airlines is set to enhance domestic connectivity with the launch of new direct flights from Bengaluru to Ayodhya starting December 31.
What’s it about? Flight 6E 934 will depart Bengaluru at 11:40 am, arriving in Ayodhya at 2:25 pm, with the return flight, 6E 926, leaving Ayodhya at 2:55 pm and reaching Bengaluru at 5:30 pm.
- In addition to the Bengaluru-Ayodhya route, IndiGo will resume daily flights from Bengaluru to Gorakhpur on the same day.
- Gorakhpur is significant for followers of Jainism and Buddhism, making it a pivotal destination for religious tourism.
Bookings open: The airline has already scheduled two flights for the Bengaluru-Gorakhpur route on January 6 and 7 with bookings now open.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you watched movies in a single-screen theatre?
- I have watched movies in a single-screen theatre.
- I have not watched movies in a single-screen theatre.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which sports should India focus most on for podium finishes in the Olympics?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In Other News…
- The Bengaluru-Mysuru highway has recorded a significant drop in road fatalities after the installation of the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) in July this year.
- The Vyalikaval Road from Vinayak Nagar Circle to Vyalikaval police station will remain closed for a month due to the ongoing construction of a massive stormwater drain.
- Merwans opened their first franchise store in Bengaluru, Koramangala.
- Power supply will be disrupted in several areas on December 10, from 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. for maintenance works.
- BMRCL recorded an all-time high ridership of 9.2 lakh attributed to the Diljit Dosanjh concert.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!