DADU, Nov 30: A large number of people marched from Shaheed Makhdoom Bilawal Park to Zulfiqar Chowk in Johi on Sunday in protest against the BHP Billiton oil and gas company’s failure to provide jobs to them.

The march organised by the Johi Awami Ittehad was led by Qurban Ali Khokhar, Sultan Babar, nazim of union council Sawaro, Allah Yar Rodhnai, chairman of Abadgar Association Ghulam Qadir Rind and councillor Pir Bux Babar.

Qurban Khokhar said that locals were denied jobs in skilled and unskilled fields in the Zamzama gas filed. The people of villages around the gas field were not even getting drinking water, they complained.

Ghulam Qadir Rind alleged that use of chemicals on the field during the drilling of wells had caused skin, asthma and tuberculosis among villagers.

Allah Yar said that jobs and development were the right of villagers but BHP officials were neglecting them. He said that the villagers holding protests but no officer had met them.