MUMBAI, July 26 -- More than 10 hectares of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park could be affected by a proposal to widen State Highway 42 between Gaimukh and Fountain Hotel and construct Metro Line 10 along the stretch, raising fresh concerns over the future of the city's leopard habitat. The proposal comes despite nearly 40 leopards reportedly being killed by speeding vehicles and trucks on the highway over the past decade. The Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has submitted plans to widen the highway to up to 60 metres from Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel on Ghodbunder Road. Metro Line 10, from Gaimukh and Bhaindarpada village to Kashimira Naka, is also planned along the route. The metro line was earlier proposed to have an underground section, but that plan has now been scrapped. The alignment will instead run parallel to Gaimukh Ghat and on the proposed widened road, officials said. Anita Patil, director of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, confirmed that an initial meeting had been held with the zonal officer in Nagpur regarding the proposal. Mira Bhayander municipal commissioner Radha Binod Sharma said plans had been submitted and approvals were being sought from the forest department and for CRZ clearances. MBMC mayor Dimple Mehta said widening was necessary because of the number of accidents on the highway. The number of trees that may have to be cut for the project is not yet known. Environmental activist D Stalin of Vanashakti said the stretch was a major wildlife conflict zone. "The local tribal hamlets will bear the brunt of leopard attacks," he said....