The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has chosen Diwale village in the Belapur ward to be developed as a smart village within Navi Mumbai's smart city. The project is already in full swing, and the village is getting a makeover along the lines of the city's developed nodes. A modern fish market has been built so far, and work on a fishing jetty and a platform for drying fish is currently underway in Diwale village, which is primarily made up of fishermen. Encroachment on a 2,500 sq m plot of land in the village has also been cleared to make way for a parking lot. The project's total cost is estimated to be around Rs 13 crore, with NMMC contributing Rs three crore and the government contributing the remaining Rs 10 crore through a special local MLA fund under its smart village scheme. It was Belapur MLA Manda Mhatre who first proposed the Diwali smart village concept. The project includes, among other things, the development of gardens, a community centre, a multipurpose hall, toilets, a recreation centre for the elderly, an open gym, a children's play arena, and a vegetable market. A vegetable market will be established in addition to the fish market. Around 200 to 300 locals, mostly from the fishing community, will be employed as security personnel, conservancy workers, and caretakers at gardens, markets, jetty, and multipurpose centres as part of this smart village initiative. In a few days, the jetty will be opened. The multipurpose centre will be built on an 8,000 square foot site with shops on the ground floor and a capacity of at least 4,000 people for socio-cultural activities on the first floor. Image Source Also read: Greater Noida Authority to float tenders for three smart villages