Hungarian woman lends hand to clean dirty Vasai beach
by the sorry state of Rangaon beach, a popular picnic spot among Vasai locals, a Hungarian national has taken the onus of clearing it of the garbage dumped by careless picnickers.
For the past three few weeks, Zsuzsanna Ferrao has been visiting the beach with her husband and their threeyear-old daughter to clean it. The Ferraos said their decision was inspired by the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Moreover, the couple has started receiving support from the locals
Residents of Stella area in Vasai, Zsuzsanna and her husband Lisbon, who is an Indian visit the beach on Sun day afternoons, when the crowd is at its thinnest, to clear garbage comprising emptyliquorbottles anddis carded footwear.
Commenting on the beach clean-up drive, Zsuzsanna said, “Back home in Budapest, there are no beaches. All we have are a few lakes, which are always kept clean. Hungarians take pride in exhibiting great civic sense. I moved to Vasai after marrying Lisbon and was shocked to see the sorry state in which the beach was when first visited it. So one day I decided to clean it.”
Due to business commitments, the Ferraos keep shuttling between Goa and Vasai. However, this has not dampened Zsuzsanna’s commitment towards cleaning the beach. Every time the couple visits Rangaon they clear at least four bags full of garbage.
“It was shocking to see children playing with used syringes, mostly used by addicts. It was here that we decided to take matters in our own hand and do everything possible to ensure a cleaner and a safer beach for everyone, especially children,” said Lisbon.
The couple deposits the garbage collected from Rangaon beach at the main dump yard in Vasai.
Ashish Gharat, a local, said, “Being governed by the grampanchayat, we do not have manpower to clean the garbage. But watching a foreigner clean our beach, it was embarrassing. So we have decided to join her campaign ”