By Noel O’Driscoll
A CALL for made this week for the army to be brought in if necessary to ensure that Travellers are not allowed to set up camp on the Curragh plains.
The call came from Cllr Tony O’Donnell who has called for an inter-agency response to tackle the issue of the illegal use of the Curragh Plains as a halting site.
He raised the issue at a meeting of the Kildare Area Committee last Wednesday and at the request of the committee Kildare Co Council are to write to the local gardaí, the General Officer Commanding of the Curragh Camp and the Property Management Section of the Department of Defence, to request that a meeting take place to resolve the issue.
Cllr O’Donnell outlined the extent of the problem. ““In recent years Travellers have been arriving onto the Curragh during the summer months in ever greater numbers. I understand that the Department of Defence estimates the number of caravans to be in excess of 100 per annum, and while such camps are specifically forbidden under the Curragh’s bylaws, this seems to have little effect - in spite of numerous notices across the plains.”
Cllr O’Donnell said the agency responsible for the Curragh Plains, the Property Management Section in the Department of Defence, handle the maintenance of the Curragh. But the Department of Defence need support to enforce the bye-laws.
“Garda resources are limited, and this has lead to a situation whereby the caravans can remain for weeks at a time causing damage to the fabric of the Curragh, not to mention a mess that the taxpayer must clean up. At a time of limited resources, it is unforgivable that our taxes are going on such unproductive and avoidable activities.”
Cllr O’Donnell said that the law in the area is more than adequate to deal with this issue. “I believe it is time for the Defence Forces, the gardaí and the Department of Defence to produce a plan to avoid a return of these halting sites in 2012.
“If the issue is manpower than I think the resources of he army should be made available to assist the gardaí. We cannot go Cllr O’Donnell.