HYDERABAD: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday pledged to restore the past glory of the Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute (WALAMTARI) at Rajendranagar, assuring that the Congress-led Telangana government would allocate additional funds to revive the institute’s core functions of training and research in irrigation and land management.
The Minister visited the institute along with Panchayat Raj Minister D. Seethakka, Mahabubabad MP Balram Naik, and senior officials. WALAMTARI Director General M. Anita presented an overview of the institute’s achievements, challenges, and current status.
Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed shock upon learning that WALAMTARI—established in 1983 as a World Bank-aided project and one of Telangana’s four apex training institutions—was not conducting regular training programmes due to lack of funding. Officials revealed that apart from salaries, no funds had been sanctioned in recent years for training, research, or infrastructure development.
Criticising the previous BRS government, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the institute was reduced to a symbolic entity despite its robust infrastructure and strategic importance. “The irrigation department functioned in an ad hoc manner under the previous regime. We are now introducing structure and streamlining operations,” he said.
The Minister directed the institute to immediately resume induction, refresher, and specialised training for engineers and agriculture officers. He pledged to write to all government departments, encouraging them to utilise WALAMTARI’s services. “This institute has the potential to be self-sustaining if departments and other States avail its expertise,” he said.
He also emphasised expanding WALAMTARI’s training to farmers and rural youth, underlining its importance in grassroots-level capacity building.
Spread over 8 acres, WALAMTARI houses an academic block, auditoria, an indoor stadium, computer labs, hostels, and an R&D farm. It has hosted international programmes attended by officers from 12 Afro-Asian countries and trained thousands in water-saving technologies, micro-irrigation, organic farming, and crop diversification.
During the visit, Uttam Kumar Reddy inspected various wings, including training halls and computer labs, and reviewed preparations for an upcoming programme where Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will distribute appointment letters to 224 newly recruited Assistant Engineers and 199 Junior Technical Officers in the Irrigation Department.
He also reviewed the institute’s staffing, noting that it currently has 21 technical staff against 28 sanctioned posts, and 51 non-technical staff against a sanctioned strength of 48.
Expressing concern over encroachments on WALAMTARI’s land, the Minister directed the Director General to submit a report and assured he would pursue the issue with the Advocate General. “These lands are government assets and must be reclaimed,” he said, supporting a proposal to construct a boundary wall for protection.
WALAMTARI has proposed projects worth ₹25 crore for the coming years, covering infrastructure development, agricultural equipment procurement, and induction training for engineers. It is also collaborating with national agencies like the National Water Mission and the National Mission for Clean Ganga on sustainable agriculture, groundwater recharge, and climate adaptation.
As part of its expansion strategy, WALAMTARI has sought designation as a ‘Centre of Natural Farming’ to host master-level training for scientists and farmers. Uttam Kumar Reddy said he would raise the proposal with the Centre during his next visit to Delhi.
Today, I along with Minister @seethakkaMLA inspected the Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute in Rajendranagar.
The Congress Govt. in Telangana is determined to increase the training and technical know how of Irrigation Department Engineers. pic.twitter.com/T1tz3afJWf
— Uttam Kumar Reddy (@UttamINC) April 10, 2025
