The swimming pool at Siliguri Club. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, Jan. 23: A huge, all-weather indoor swimming pool and a squash court of international standards are the main attractions of Siliguri Club, set for inauguration on January 30.

Situated on Eastern Bypass, 200 m south of the junction with Iskcon Mandir Road, the club is coming up on two bighas and will ultimately be a four-storeyed building. The upper storeys will have a dance floor, badminton court, restaurant, billiards table and Internet cafe. Suites for short stays and a roof garden will be added later.

For starters, the 25 m x 10 m pool, over 11 feet deep at the diving end, will be opened with much fanfare next week. Long distance swimmer Masudur Rahman Baidya and urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya are expected to be present at the inaugural meet.

“The pool will hold six lakh litres of treated water, all of which will be heated during the winter months by compression pumps using titanium elements,” said maintenance engineer Pradyut Bhattacharya as he readied the filtration system for water ballet rehearsals. The ballet and a fashion show are part of the inaugural programme.

The heating system to be used here is similar to the one at Space Circle in Calcutta, he added.

“During our stay in Calcutta, I saw a pool coming up right next door to our residence in Dhakuria and I yearned to set up something like it on our ancestral land in Siliguri,” said Shibani Pal, the proprietor. Shibani and her husband spent five years working out the ingredients for a successful club.

“When we decided to go for it, we thought why not add other sports and leisure activities as well,” she told The Telegraph during a tour of the premises.

For health freaks, the club will also have a multi gym, a Jacuzzi, aerobics facilities and a unique hydro-therapy unit, which uses jets of water for curing ailments.

“We aim to set up the club where the whole family, no matter what the age, will enjoy keeping fit and spending their leisure,” Pal said.