MUMBAI: M.R.Srinivasan, former chairman of atomic energy commission (aec),95, who successfully ushered in the nuclear power era in India, passed away at an Ooty hospital in Tamilnadu, at 4 am on Tuesday.The first quarter of the year saw five scientific legends passing away—Dr.R.Chidambaram, ex Indian nuke chief who commanded Pokhran-2, on January 4, Dr. K.Kasturirangan ex Isro chief and father of Indian moon mission on April 25, Dr Saroj Ghosh, founding director-genaral of National Council Of Science Museums on on May 17 ,Dr Jayant Narlikar, world famous astrophysicist on May 19 and on May 20 M.R.Srinivasan.After his death, his daughter, Sharada Srinivasan, tweeted: “Appa you always said that work was duty and that I should not miss a day of work regardless of other things, but still this is not fair. I had just told you of our plans to have 95 th celebration of your life’s work a couple of days back.’’She said her father suddenly tool ill on Monday night in Ooty and passed away peacefully in hospital at 4 am Her mother, Geeta, was with him.Srinivasan joined the department of atomic energy in September 1955 and worked with Homi Bhabha in building Asia’s first nuclear reactor, Apsara, at Barc, in Trombay. Apsara attained criticality on August 4 1956.Three years after the commissioning of Apsara, he was appointed principal project engineer in August 1959 for setting up India’s first atomic power station Tarapur-1, near Mumbai, an Indo-US joint venture which was commissioned on October 28, 1969. After the commissioning of Tarapur-1, 18 nuclear power units were developed under his leadership.In 1967, he took charge as chief project engineer of the Madras Atomic Power Station.In 1974, he became director of the Power Projects Engineering Division which had its offices in Colaba, and in 1984 he became chairman of the Nuclear Power Board.In these roles, he oversaw the planning, execution and operation of all nuclear power projects in the country.In 1987, he was appointed chairman of the atomic energy commission and in the same year became founder-chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited.He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan.