Koraput: Researchers have expressed concern over the home-made liquor sold at the tribal haat in a thickly forested area near Kuru Padar village, about 55 km from here.

On each Tuesday one can visit the haat, where both tribal men and women folk from Dandabadi, Haldikunda, Baligaon and Doraguda panchayats congregate to guzzle a glass of this home-made brew.

It starts around 2pm and continues till the evening. Liquor prepared from fruits, rice, ragi, cashew fruit, mohula and sugarcane is sold in the haat. But, the brew made from rice and molasses is the most sought after among the tribal people visiting the haat. A glass full of liquor costs Rs 10.

"We don't know whether liquor is harmful for our health or not, but it's a part of our society," said Sadan Hontal, a villager.

"For the past several years, I have been coming here to sale liquor. People from far-flung areas visit the haat to enjoy drinking liquor," said a liquor seller at the haat.

But, tribal researcher Gobardhan Panda said: " With the passing of time, the process of making liquor has become very dicey as various spurious ingredients such as ammonia and urea are added to the liquor to accelerate fermentation, which traditionally takes four days. It is dangerous."

The significance of the liquor in tribal life can be best judged from the fact that they offer it to the deities as a token of their reverence. And during marriages, containers filled with liquor are given in dowry. Panda said that looking at the cultural aspect to the practice, it was difficult to put a ban on liquor consumption. "But, people should be told about the safety measures while preparing it," he said.