Chandigarh, March 27 -- After nearly 17 years of delays, cost overruns and incomplete construction, Panjab University's long-awaited multi-purpose auditorium is finally set to see its first official use - an alumni meet of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) called "Sangam" on Friday. The event marks the beginning of the auditorium's phased operationalisation, with vice-chancellor Renu Vig having earlier indicated it would serve as a test run ahead of a formal inauguration, the date of which has yet to be announced. UT chief secretary H Rajesh Prasad will preside over Friday's programme. Situated on the south campus in Sector 25, the auditorium has a seating capacity of approximately 2,500, with current operations pegged at around 2,200. The project was initiated in November 2009 when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid its foundation stone. Successive delays, design revisions and funding shortfalls ballooned the initial estimates of Rs.30 crore to over Rs.100 crore, making it one of the university's longest running and most scrutinised infrastructure undertakings. The new facility is expected to significantly ease pressure on the university's existing capacity-strapped venues. Large functions are currently split across Gandhi Bhawan, the law auditorium (seating around 900) and smaller departmental halls. The Golden Jubilee Hall, with a capacity of roughly 140 seats, is also pressed into service for a lot of events. University officials have long envisioned the multi-purpose auditorium as the central venue for convocations, conferences and major cultural events. Even as the first event goes ahead, several sections of the auditorium complex are still not fully ready. The senate hall on the top floor remains in the finishing stage, and two seminar halls on the first floor - each designed to accommodate just over 100 people, remain incomplete. Interior works, fittings and auxiliary installations are still underway, and the university is expected to bring the entire complex to operational status in stages. Long referred to within the university as a "white elephant", the auditorium has remained under construction through the tenures of several vice-chancellors. Noticeable progress began only in the past two years, as the current administration pushed to finally make it functional. The timing carries an additional dimension, with Friday's inaugural event falling just a day prior to last day of vice-chancellor Renu Vig's tenure on Saturday....