Shimoga, a small city in Karnataka celebrated car free day on October 6, 2001. This is the first instance that any Indian city has celebrated car free day, which has been taken up as an initiative in several European cities to reduce car use and thus reduce vehicular air pollution on September 22 (Down To Earth, July 15, 2001). Organised by the Shimoga district unit of Karnataka Rajya Vigana Parishath, the car free day celebrations included a procession and public meeting with speakers trying in their own way to educate the public about vehicular air pollution. The movement got support from the Karnataka State Transport's Shimoga's Depot and even the Regional Transport Officer. Shimoga Taluk's MLA Chandrashekharappa, who inaugurated the meeting, spoke about the indiscriminate use of motor vehicles and the fallout of vehicular pollution.