CHENNAI: The first project director of the erstwhile Madras Atomic Power Project (now Madras Atomic Power Station) Myneni Hari Prasad Rao passed away at a private hospital on Tuesday. He was 88. A recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1984 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Science and Technology, Rao is survived by three daughters and a son. Rao served three decades in the Department of Atomic Energy. He was specially appointed by the then Nuclear Power Board for the Construction and Commissioning of Madras Atomic Power Station and he was the pioneer in Construction and Commissioning of both the units of Madras Atomic Power Project. Later he served as Executive Director of Nuclear Power Board for three years.