Officers in charge of police stations have been told to arrange pedestal fans for the accused lodged in lock-ups so that they don't take ill in custody.
The fans will be placed just outside the lock-up gates and connected to an electrical point outside the rooms.
A constable on lock-up duty will monitor the situation and senior officers on night rounds at each police station will enter a note in the general diary on the arrangements.
The lock-ups do not have ceiling fans to prevent suicide by the accused.
"Apart from making arrangements for pedestal fans, the officers in charge of the police stations should also provide oral rehydration solutions to the accused in the lock-ups to ensure they are adequately hydrated," said a senior police officer.
"We don't want anyone to fall sick in police custody because of the heat."
Accused arrested on specific charges or remanded in police custody are lodged in lock-ups inside police stations. Each cell is shared by a number of accused and men and women are kept in separate rooms.
A lock-up has a toilet located inside and is separated by walls. The space where the accused stay does not have any sharp object so they do not harm themselves or each other.
The officer in charge of each police station is accountable for the health of the accused in his or her custody.
"Accused in the lock-ups of police stations built during the British period such as Bhowanipore, Hare Street, Park Street and New Market would not face too many heat-related problems in all these years because of the thick walls. But this year it's different because of the unprecedented heat spell. So the officers in charge of all police stations have been asked to be extra careful," said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
"If the inmates want to take showers more than once a day, we are not stopping them," said the officer in charge of a police station. "Constables on lock-up duty have been told to regularly interact with the inmates and inform me if anyone complains of any ailment such as dysentery."
Officers on night round have been asked to run a check and if required ask the accused about their health.
