Bahar ic-Caghaq campers to petition the government

Campers at Bahar ic-Caghaq this evening agreed to draw up a petition asking the government to designate an area for an official camping site.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Safari Camping Club held in the wake of an announcement yesterday that the campers were being given 48 hours to move from the site they currently occupy.

Club secretary Athilio Montebello expressed his disappointment over the way things were done, saying that although the club had in the past corresponded with the authorities, the first time they learnt about the eviction orders was when they found notices pasted on their caravan doors.

He acknowledged that there was abuse by some people who had built fixed structures on the land without title, but said the club's members had mobile caravans equipped with the necessary sanitary facilities.

He said the club had sent an e-mail to the Prime Minister asking for a clarification of the situation. A meeting with Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi, who is responsible for public land, will be held in late October.