Pune: BSNL, MTNL Pensioners Hold Massive Protest at Satara Road Office Over Pending IDA Hike

Pune, 20th May 2026: Hundreds of BSNL and MTNL pensioners staged a protest outside the office of the Principal General Manager on Satara Road in Pune on Wednesday, demanding immediate implementation of the IDA (Industrial Dearness Allowance) hike due from January 1, 2026.

Around 500 pensioners participated in the protest organised as part of a nationwide agitation launched by the Committee of BSNL and MTNL Pensioners Associations of India.

The protesters demanded that the pending IDA/DR increase applicable from January 1, 2026 be implemented immediately and arrears for the period between January and March 2026 be paid without further delay.

Leaders addressing the gathering said the issue arose after an order issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) on February 27, 2026, which notified the IDA hike effective from January 1, 2026 but included an “unusual condition” related to financial implications under Paragraph 5 of the order.

Following protests held by nearly four lakh pensioners across the country on April 16, the DPE issued another order on April 24 notifying the IDA increase effective from April 1, 2026 while removing the financial implication clause. However, pensioners alleged that the increase due from January 1, 2026 and the arrears for the first three months of the year are yet to be implemented.

The protesters also demanded restoration of the earlier system under which the Controller of Communication Accounts (CCA) office automatically implemented IDA hikes without requiring intervention from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The agitation was addressed by union leaders including Nageshkumar Nalawade, Chand, Vrushali Dabholkar, Prakash Ghorpade, Sandeep Gulunjkar, Kulkarni and Anand Mudvikar. Ganesh Bhoj conducted the programme while Nitin Kadam proposed the vote of thanks.

Representatives of various BSNL workers’ unions also extended support to the protest. Pensioners warned that they would continue their agitation unitedly until their demands were fulfilled and urged the Union government and the Department of Telecommunications to take an immediate decision on the issue.