'Missile Man' suggests country's premier weapons maker should model itself on lines of US Army Corps of Engineers, lend its technological expertise to peacetime causes by taking up flood control and river channellin

'Missile Man' APJ Abdul Kalam yesterday suggested that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) should develop eco-friendly technologies for use in disaster management and conservation of natural resources. "The United States Army Corps of Engineers are the official flood control agency in the country and have also been managing the country's river channels. The DRDO could take up joint activities with other organisations to control the annual flood situation in Bihar," said the former president.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) in Dighi; the establishment is a DRDO lab developing weapon technologies for defence forces.

"The DRDO should now look at 2030. It should aim to evolve into a more versatile technology institute by then. It has already made great strides in developing robotics and carbon fibre composites. Future warfare will see wide usage of technologies like electronic countermeasures and network centric warfare. It will be interchangeable and quick in response," he said.