PAMED (Chhattisgarh), April 12 -- For decades, the dense forests of Pamed held stories of isolation, fear and insurgency close.
Informally known as the capital of the Maoists, this remote region of 10,000 people in Bastar's Bijapur district was cut off from the rest of the world, the isolation stymieing efforts by the government to push back the rebels and win over villagers.
Residents - who largely hailed from the tribal community - were forced to undertake arduous journeys for basic necessities to Bijapur either on foot, bicycles or sometimes by tractors. From Pamed, the duration of a journey would vary between six and eight hours.
But on Republic Day this year, the first-ever bus service between Pamed and Bijapur roared to life, conne...