Gadra Road is a town and the administrative headquarters of Gadra Road tehsil in the Barmer district of Rajasthan, India. It is located approximately 80 km north of Barmer city by rail and about 5 km from the India–Pakistan border.
History.
The town takes its name from the former settlement of Gadra in Pakistan’s Sindh province; after the Partition of India in 1947, it was resettled by Sindhi Hindu refugees, many of whom established Nehru Nagar (Sindhi Colony) and other localities here.
Role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Gadra Road served as a forward logistics base for the Indian Army; on 8 September 1965, elements of the 30 Infantry Brigade under 11 Infantry Division entered West Pakistan through the Gadra Road–Munabao corridor. Pakistani Sabre jets repeatedly attacked the base, and on 9 September a railway goods train was struck near the station, killing ten railway employees.
Geography.
Gadra Road sits in the arid Thar Desert at an average elevation of 161 m above sea level.
Demographics.
As per the 2011 Census of India (Village code 086700), Gadra Road (Gadraroad@Ber Seeng Desar) had a population of 8,290—4,303 males and 3,987 females—with 1,574 children aged 0–6 (18.99 %) and an overall literacy rate of 54.42 % (male 68.26 %, female 39.47 %)
Economy.
The economy is based on dryland agriculture, livestock rearing and date‐palm cultivation in irrigated pockets. Traditional Sindhi handicrafts—especially embroidery and block-printed textiles—are a vital source of income.
Governance.
Gadra Road falls in the Sheo Assembly constituency and is administered by the Gadra Road Gram Panchayat, which comprises 17 wards and 18 elected members.