The ball for setting up the National Dolphin Research Centre in Patna will be set rolling within a week.

“Dolphin Man” R.K. Sinha, an expert on Gangetic dolphins, has prepared the detailed project report (DPR) for the centre, touted to be the Asia’s first research centre dedicated to the aquatic mammals. He would submit the DPR to the state government within a week for approval. The state would then forward it to the Planning Commission for final nod.

Sinha told The Telegraph: “The National Dolphin Research Centre, the first in the country, will be situated in Patna. Its focus would be on carrying out research work on dolphins, its habits and ways of conserving them.”

The idea behind setting up the dolphin research centre in Patna was chalked out after Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia visited Patna in February this year.

Sinha said: “After attending the Global Bihar Summit, Ahluwalia visited the Ganga to see the dolphins near Gandhi Setu. After spotting a few dolphins and learning about their high numbers in Bihar, he suggested me to move a proposal for setting up a dolphin research centre.”

On March 24, Sinha tabled the proposal before chief minister Nitish Kumar in a meeting of the state wildlife board. Nitish gave in-principle approval for setting up the centre. Later, it was decided to establish the proposed centre at Patna University.

Sinha said: “The centre would carry out research, which would include identifying the areas of close interaction between humans and dolphins. Over the past few decades, the number of dolphins has dipped owing to various factors such as motorboats hitting the aquatic creatures. Moreover, the areas where the water-level has dipped, the number of dolphins is less.”

Sinha said: “From Buxar to Patna, the number of Gangetic dolphins is less. Their numbers increase between Munger and Sultanganj. In Patna, the dolphin count has slipped owing to development activities, such as the construction of apartments along the banks of Ganga.”

The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the three freshwater dolphin species in the world.

Singh said the research centre would be housed in a two-storeyed building preferably on the banks of the Ganga.