Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy in Walambari in Hyderabad on Thursday as Minister of Panchayat Raj D. Seethakka (right) and DG of the M. Anitha Institute (left) Look. | Photo credit: By arrangement
Hyderabad
The Minister of Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Utam Kumar Reddy promised on Thursday to restore the past glory of the Institute for Water and Land Management Training and Research (Walambari) here. They assured that the state government would grant additional funds necessary to resume the central functions of the Institute, including training and research in irrigation and land management.
Mr. Utam Reddy visited the institute together with Panchayat Raj D. Seethakka Minister, Mahabubabad P. Balram Naik and other senior officials. The general director of Walambari, M. Anitha, presented a detailed description of the history, activities and challenges of the institute.
The minister expressed his shock to know that Walambari, established in 1983 as a World Bank project and recognized as one of the four APEX training institutions in Telangana, was not carrying out training programs in a regular basic. The officials informed him that the exception of salary assignments, no funds were published in recent years for training, research and development of infrastructure.
Kaging the previous government of BRS for the negligence of the institute, Utam Reddy said that Walambari was reduced to a symbolic entity despite its fixed infrastructure, qualified workforce and strategic importance in the training of irrigation engineers, agricultural officers and farmers. He said that the irrigation department worked in an ad hoc under the BRS government, but the Government of Congress was rationalizing the system and making its operation more structured.
He instructed the institute authorities to immediately resume induction, review and specialized training programs for agriculture engineers and officers. He would write to all departments encouraging them to use Walambaris services.
The minister inspected several wings of the Institute and reviewed the infrastructure, including computer laboratories, training rooms and the shelter complex. The group expressed on invasions in the Institute’s country. The general director will send a detailed report on all the issues that affect the institute. He supported the proposal to build a boundary wall around the institute to avoid more hiring.
As part of its expansion, it is proposed that Walambari be designated as a “Natural Agriculture Center” to carry out training programs at the master level for scientists and farmers.
Published – April 10, 2025 09:42 PM IST
