See Pics: Mamata Banerjee Inaugurates Conch-Shaped Dhanadhanyo Auditorium

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday inaugurated a state-of-the-art indoor facility called Dhanadhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata's Alipore. It has been built at a cost of Rs 440 crore, according to a tweet posted by Ms Banerjee on her official account. Her post also contains splendid photos of the structure, captured by a drone. They show the conch-shaped building in both daytime as well as night. According to the West Bengal government, it a gift for the city ahead of Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year's Day) on April 15.

In her tweet, Ms Banerjee showed "sincere appreciation" to the state public works department (PWD) for making this dream project a reality. "This modern marvel is a symbol of progress and development in our state," she said.

According to a state government release, the building is 510 feet in length and 210 feet in width and has six floors.

The auditorium has two halls - one with a bigger seating capacity of 2,000 people and the other one can accommodate 540 people.

The auditorium will also have a banquet, a food court and space to park hundreds of cars.

The work to construct Dhanadhanyo Auditorium commenced in December 2017. It was meant to be completed within 40 months but construction was delayed due to COVID-19.

The maintenance of Dhanadhanyo Auditorium has been given to West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco). The agency has also issued a tender for several works to be done there.

The name of the auditorium was given by Banerjee while she laid the foundation stone for the same.