ESAT Digifone has said it intends to ask the Department of Justice "to set a time and date" when mobile phone antennae will be erected on a controversial mast at Kerrykeel, Co Donegal.
The company said it was "farcical" that it had not been informed of what was happening since work on the erection of the antennae was halted on Wednesday morning.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, has said he believes there was political interference with the Garda over the matter. "It would appear that the gardai were interfered with for political reasons to get them to back off from the enforcement of the law in order to facilitate the Government winning a Dail division," he said during an interview with local radio in Donegal.
A mast was erected beside the Garda station in Kerrykeel on Wednesday after 150 gardai were deployed to move protesting locals from the site. Five men were arrested during serious scuffles.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, then gave a commitment to local Independent ail TD Mr Harry Blaney that the Esat antennae would not be put on the mast. Local people are objecting to the Esat antennae but would accept the mast being used solely for Garda purposes.
Mr Blaney had refused to leave the village to go to the Dail for the Budget debate and vote until the matter was resolved. Mr Tom Gildea, a Donegal South West TD, also became involved.
A spokeswoman for Kerrykeel residents, Mrs Kay McGrory, said local people feared that the agreement reached on Wednesday would not be honoured. "We think it will only be a matter of time before they move in to put up the antennae."
Mr Declan Drummond of Esat Digifone said it was "farcical" that the company had not had any contact from the Department of Justice since the incident on Wednesday morning. "We cannot run a business based on hearsay. Hopefully somebody will have the decency to contact us," he said.
Mr Drummond said Esat Digifone had a "legally-binding agreement" with the Department of Justice to erect mobile phone antennae on the mast. "We will be looking for a time and date to go back and finish the structure and put on the antennae," he added.
Mr Blaney said last night that Mr O'Donoghue had verbally "confirmed the undertaking" that no antennae would be put on the mast. Mr O'Donghue "said he couldn't give it to me in writing because the contract was with the Garda authorities", Mr Blaney said.
People in Kerrykeel were "even angrier" yesterday at the gardai for "taking over the village" to ensure the mast was erected, according to Mrs McGrory. She said she had received calls of support from groups all over the country, and many people were outraged at the "heavy-handed" approach taken by the gardai.
They would continue to oppose the antennae going up, she said. "We don't want Esat or this mast. We have fears as parents - nobody wants anything that could possibly harm their children."