A protest march by local residents demanding the shutdown of a poultry waste rendering unit at Ambayathode near Thamarassery on Tuesday turned violent, resulting in protesters setting fire to the factory. Threw stonesThe protesters, under the aegis of Iruthulli civic protest committee, attempted to block a vehicle transporting waste to Fresh Cut poultry waste rendering unit at Ambayathode. However, the protest committee alleged that the management made no changes and that the smell persisted. They also alleged that the plant was functioning much beyond its capacity, as a result of which poultry waste had got accumulated on its premises, resulting in the foul smell. However, the plant owners reportedly secured clearance from the district-level facilitation and monitoring committee for waste management.