Sanitation workers today returned to duty across Punjab after an about three-week-long strike. Municipal councils and corporations launched an intensive statewide drive to clear the mountains of garbage that had accumulated in urban areas during the agitation.Heavy machinery, including JCB excavators, tractor-trolleys and dumpers, was deployed to remove massive garbage heaps from markets, residential colonies and roadside collection points. Municipal officials, however, said residents would have to wait another few days before normal sanitation services, including door-to-door waste collection and routine street sweeping, could fully resume.The immediate priority was to remove the backlog of garbage that had piled up during the strike and subsequent monsoon rains, MC officials said.Punjab Local Bodies and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said garbage clearance operations had already commenced across the state after the government reached an understanding with representatives of sanitation workers. The government had addressed the major issues raised by the workers, and the strike had effectively come to an end, he said.A sanitary inspector of a municipal council, requesting anonymity, said the work was progressing more slowly than expected because of the enormous backlog and poor road conditions leading to dumping sites.“Garbage was dumped at hundreds of locations during the strike. We have a limited number of JCB machines, and they are being deployed on a rotational basis. Moreover, the road leading to the main dumping ground has become slippery, muddy and full of potholes after the rains. Vehicles are moving at a snail’s pace and often get stuck. It may take another four to five days before the accumulated garbage is cleared,” a sanitary official from Ludhiana said.Despite the resumption of work, residents in many cities continue to struggle with overflowing garbage.Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Ludhiana’s Ram Nagar locality, said tonnes of waste remain piled up near the DIG office and under the old Lakkar Bridge flyover.“After the recent rains, the garbage has started emitting a foul smell. The service lane is almost blocked, leaving very little space for commuters. We have to cover our faces while passing through the area. Mosquitoes and flies have become a major problem,” he said.The settlement reached between the government and sanitation workers includes bringing outsourced sanitation workers under the contractual system with an enhanced monthly salary of Rs 20,500 and regularising employees who have been working on contract since 2021.The strike has also revived debate over the long-term modernisation of Punjab’s sanitation system.Environmentalist Col (Retd) Jasjit Singh Gill said the crisis highlighted the urgent need to strengthen the sanitation workforce rather than relying solely on manual labour.“The people who keep our cities clean deserve dignity, better wages, safer working conditions and modern equipment. We need lighter and more efficient tools, protective gear, mechanised cleaning systems and proper training. Mechanisation should complement workers, not replace them,” he said.Gill said lasting cleanliness could not be achieved through government action alone. Cleanliness and civic responsibility should be incorporated into the school curriculum, while greater public participation should be encouraged to maintain clean surroundings.Officials claim that the present clearance drive will restore normal sanitation within the next few days. However, preventing a repeat of the crisis will require sustained investment in mechanisation, worker welfare and scientific waste management. At present, despite some municipal councils and corporations having purchased sweeping machines, they have not been able to put them to use due to resistance from sanitation workers.