Building confidence through visible progress.
Carmine helped Dholera Special Investment Region make its progress easier to understand through leadership access, on-site media engagement and a steady flow of development stories.
The challenge
During a long planning phase, limited press visibility had contributed to a perception that Dholera SIR had stalled. The project needed to explain what was happening on the ground and why its industrial-development proposition remained relevant.
A separate issue arose after heavy rainfall, when local reporting questioned the suitability of the location and the project's smart-city claims. Communication had to address those concerns, not simply repeat the project vision.
The strategic choice
Carmine put evidence and access behind the message. Journalists could see the site, question project leaders and understand technical planning. The same approach shaped the rainfall response: explain the systems and allow the media to examine the situation.
What Carmine did
Leadership and progress — arranged national interviews with then managing director Jai Prakash Shivahare, site visits, technical articles and regular updates.
Investment outreach — promoted roadshows in Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad, and media visibility around the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
Rainfall response — engaged 15 publications for a site visit and technical briefing on planning and floodwater management.
What the work achieved
Coverage followed project progress, investment readiness and business outreach across national, business and regional media, alongside a qualitative increase in enquiries from companies and government representatives.
Following the rainfall issue, coverage carried the project team's explanations alongside public concerns — including farmers' concerns, which were part of the same reporting. This created space for a more informed discussion of the site and its infrastructure, rather than leaving the issue to a headline alone.
Selected media coverage
Mint
Reporting on Dholera taking shape as an industrial investment destination.
CNBC Awaaz
Television interview on Dholera's development and investment proposition.
DNA
Officials' response to flooding concerns, alongside concerns raised by local farmers.
The Times of India
Coverage of Dholera's outreach to businesses in Pune.
Project-progress and site-concern coverage are shown together for context; the DNA report reflects both the officials' position and farmers' concerns.
When confidence is weak, give people access to the evidence. For a complex public project, credible progress reporting and an open response to difficult questions are stronger than repeated assurances.