Chief minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate Bihar's first river patrolling police station (RPPS) on the banks of the Ganges near Maujipur village under Fatuha police station in Patna district on May 20.

The first-ever RPPS has been built at a cost of Rs 56 lakh in just two months, state police headquarters sources said.

Chief minister would also inaugurate 131 police building, including model police stations and newly constructed police stations the same day.

Though the state government identified 18 places on the banks of important rivers for setting up of RPPS in Bihar, initially, it would start functioning at five places covering a long stretch of the Ganges, Kosi and Gandak rivers.

The RPPSs would be set up at Patna rural (Fatuha), Naugachhia, Bagaha, Supaul and Darbhanga.

The RPPSs, to be set up either on specialised motorboats or boats, would ply on the waves throughout their jurisdiction, anchor in diaras or riverbanks as per the need and also coordinate with their police outposts established on important ghats, sources said.

Smuggling and illegal ferrying of goods and passengers, boat capsize, drowning of indivduals or management of festivals on the riverbanks would come under the purview of RPPS, they said.

Each RPPS would have 45 armed police personnel including sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, constables and other technical staff like driver, wireless operator and cleaner, sources said.