Jamshedpur: Tatanagar station retiring rooms and dormitories, known for being rat infested, will henceforth be looked after by IRCTC in the hope that there will be a considerable improvement in facilities on offer for travellers.

"We have signed a pact with the IRCTC to renovate and run the accommodation facilities at the station," said Bhaskar, the senior divisional commercial manager of Chakradharpur division. He added that the agreement was inked at the headquarters of South Eastern Railway in Calcutta on Tuesday.

The station has 30 dormitories ( 22 non-AC and 8 AC) and 10 retiring rooms (8 non-AC and 2 AC) on the first floor of the main building.

Passengers who use the dormitories and the retiring rooms often complain about rodents and filth. "Whenever I come here, I stay in the retiring rooms which are never clean. The decision to give IRCTC the responsibility to run the accommodation facilities is a positive move. I am sure the facilities would improve," said Sonu Gupta, a Barbil-based trader who frequently comes to steel city for work.

Chakradharpur resident Mahesh Kumar who visits Tatanagar frequently to board the Rajdhani Express said, "I usually opt for a dormitory for night stay. The station may have an A1-category tag, but when it comes to comes to cleanliness, it lags behind. The dormitories and retiring rooms also need urgent pest control measures to check rat menace."

Tatanagar officials said IRCTC officials from Calcutta are expected to inspect the retiring rooms and dormitories soon. "After the inspection, IRCTC would come up with a plan to improve accommodation facilities," said A Sengupta, a Tatanagar station official.