How we source every claim
This page explains exactly how Dholera Ji sources every claim. We work from a single master fact pack that tags each number as durable, reported or target, and flags anything not reliably sourced. Government and official project sources sit at the top of our hierarchy, credible press in the middle, and broker or promotional material is treated with caution or excluded. Where sources conflict, we show the conflict rather than resolve it silently.
Our source hierarchy
Not all sources are equal, so we rank them. At the top are primary government and official sources: PIB releases, dholera.gujarat.gov.in, nicdc.in, the DSIRDA sanctioned development plan, GIDB, the Central Electricity Authority quarterly solar report, GUJRERA, Census 2011, and for heritage the Archaeological Survey of India and the Gujarati Vishwakosh. Next come company and project sources such as tata.com, tataelectronics.com and tatapower.com for their own announcements. Then credible reference and press: Wikipedia for structure, and outlets like Business Standard, India Today, Moneycontrol and specialist trade press for developments. At the bottom, treated with real caution, is broker and promotional material, which is the source of most inflated price and appreciation claims. When only broker-tier sourcing exists for a figure, we say the figure is not reliably sourced.
How we tag every number
Behind every page is a tagging discipline. A durable fact is one confirmed by a top-tier source and unlikely to change, for example that the Gujarat Special Investment Region Act was passed in 2009, that the Tata and PSMC fab was approved on 29 Feb 2024, or that Lothal was excavated by the ASI between 1955 and 1960. A reported figure comes from credible press but is not yet primary-confirmed, such as the exact as-built lane count of the expressway. A target is a plan or forecast, such as more than 800,000 jobs at full development, 5,000 MW of solar, first silicon around December 2026, or airport operations in late 2026. We never let a target read as an achievement. The single most common error in Dholera writing is exactly that slippage, so we guard against it.
What we do when sources disagree
Dholera has many honest disagreements in the record. The ABCD building's built-up area is cited at around 14,000 square metres in one official document and around 36,000 by the developer. The expressway cost is quoted as roughly Rs 3,196 cr for construction alone and about Rs 4,373 cr including land. The semi-high-speed rail is widely reported at 220 km/h, but the confirming PIB release states cost, length and timeline, not a speed. In each case we present both figures and explain the difference in scope, rather than choosing one and hiding the other. A reader who sees the conflict is better informed than one handed false certainty.
Things we deliberately do not claim
We do not state a firm airport opening date, because that target has slipped since around 2010; we report the first trial landing on 4 Jun 2026 and the late-2026 operational target as a target. We do not publish a single SIR-wide investment total, because no reliable one exists; we cite specific, sourced commitments such as the Rs 91,000 cr fab instead. We do not print the named list of all 22 SIR villages, because the circulating lists are unverified and wrongly include villages like Sargasan and Surajbari. We do not quote land prices as fact. And we do not repeat unverified claims, such as the specific individual sometimes named as leading the 1930 satyagraha, when the reliable record does not support them.
Corrections and updates
This is a living reference about a fast-moving place, so it will sometimes be behind the news. We fold confirmed developments into the relevant pages and log the significant ones on the updates page with their date and source. If you find an error, the most useful thing you can send us is the corrected fact plus a link to a credible source, ideally a government or official project page. We would rather publish a flagged uncertainty than a smooth falsehood, and we would rather correct quickly than defend a mistake. See the contact page to reach us.
FAQ
Where do your figures come from?
From a master fact pack built on primary government and official project sources first, then credible press, with broker and promotional material treated with caution or excluded. Key sources include PIB, dholera.gujarat.gov.in, nicdc.in, the CEA, Census 2011, the ASI and the Gujarati Vishwakosh, all of which we cite on the relevant pages.
Why do you keep saying a figure is a target?
Because most of what is exciting about Dholera is planned, not built. Labelling jobs numbers, solar capacity, first-silicon dates and the airport opening as targets keeps a plan from being mistaken for an achievement, which is the most common mistake in Dholera coverage.
What if two sources give different numbers?
We show both and explain the difference, rather than silently picking one. Examples include the ABCD building's built-up area, the expressway cost, and the reported rail speed versus what the confirming PIB release actually states.