Close to 500 women employees of Greater Visakhapatnam
Municipal Corporation had great fun participating in games like
lemon-and-spoon, housie, musical-chair, needle-and-thread and 50-metre
walking competition on International Women’s Day here at Swarna Bharathi
Auditorium.

Every person seems to enjoy the day in
their own way. A few women at the venue had other plans too. Sailaja, an
employee of GVMC, was so excited with the idea of spending some extra
time with her friends over lunch.

Geetha of NMCH High
School said that she had a great day in the morning at school as her
male colleagues offered gifts to women teachers on the occasion. “Last
time the management also invited SHGs. This year, only GVMC employees
and outsource personnel have come together to rejoice the special day,”
said a few of the employees.

Addressing the
gathering, Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana said: “Earlier
women in villages were treated as grama devatha and were treated with
due respect. Today, the scenario is different. Women face a lot of
problems at workplace. We need to work together to create a conducive
atmosphere and respect them for what they are,” he said. Cash prize and
saris were given away to the winners of the lucky draw. Additional
commissioner of GVMC K. Ramesh said that women have come up a long way
compared to 30-40 years earlier. “However, the need of the hour is their
safety and security. Men should treat women with dignity and make them
feel comfortable at workplace,” he added.