THATTA, Aug 4: About 300 enraged residents of Yaqoobabad blocked the National Highway between Dhabeji and Gharibabad in protest against emission of fibre dust through dust exhauster of the Al-Abbas Chipboard Industries on Saturday.

They forced the management to announce closure of factory for one-week. The blockage resulted in suspension of all sorts of traffic to and from Karachi via Thatta to Badin and Hyderabad for over an hour.

Protester, majority of them women and children, led by Nazim UC Dhabeji, Pir Bux Baloch and Malik Imran dragged Jamil Durrani Manager Administration out of the factory and made him hostage. Later, protesters held talks on the intervention of saner elements.

They claimed that due to frequent emission of fibre dust from the factory, the population of nearby localities was suffering from asthma, skin, eye and stomach diseases.