New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS): The 165 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Chhattisgarh police have set up a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Bedre in Sukma district, a highly Maoist-affected area of the state, after 17 years, said a CRPF official.

While the FOB will effectively help in reopening the old trade route connecting Imli Bazar in Jagargunda with the district headquarters Bijapur and Dantewada, it will also close the transit corridor used by the Maoists to travel between West and South Bastar, an official said.

Significantly, a FOB was established in Kunder, located at a distance of 5 km from the FOBs at Bedre, Silger and 10 km from Jagargunda FOB.

According to information, till the emergence of the Maoist threat in 2006, the Jagargunda area used to be a trading centre for tamarind and other forest produce.

The CRPF said that with this camp, the administration would be able to decisively restore the trade route and pave the way for the economic development of the area.