Hyderabad: Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was pivotal in establishing many defence laboratories in Hyderabad and Sriharikota. “DRDO has risen in his guidance. Several defence laboratories such as DRDL, Midhani, RCI, ICBM centre, etc in Hyderabad were established under his guidance. We always looked up to him whenever we faced any problem with regards to missile development,” said Dr Satish Reddy, eminent scientist and chief of RCI.
“At DRDO and elsewhere too, he always told us how to look at the problem, what should be the target and how to achieve it,” Dr Satish Reddy said For setting up the RCI in Hyderabad, DRDO acquired approximately 2,100 acre of land in 1970s and it was Dr Kalam the then director of DRDL, who persuaded the government of Andhra Pradesh to allot the land.
