Commission of Inquiry into the CCCL quarry explosion |04 September 2026

Inquiry hears testimony on DRMD restructuring and explosives storage risks

By Vidya Gappy & Anika Cathene

The Commission of Inquiry into the CCCL quarry explosion on Wednesday heard testimony from Robert Ernesta, former director general of the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD), and Dina Gappy, former general manager of CCCL. Their accounts shed light on the restructuring of DRMD and the handling of explosives storage at CCCL.

Robert Ernesta: DRMD restructuring and explosives oversight

Mr Ernesta served as director general of DRMD from July 2021 to December 2025 under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, led by Minister Errol Fonseka. He explained that his role focused on establishing and strengthening the Division’s management framework, with community-level risk identification as a core function.