“Ami aabar asbo (I will come again),” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in Samsernagar as she wrapped up her maiden visit to one of the remotest corners of the Sunderbans.

Around a hundred women chanted in chorus: “Abar asun, abar asun (visit us again).”

After Mamata left for Taki by helicopter, a few women explained why they wanted the chief minister to visit Samsernagar again.

“She did not come by road but all our roads were repaired in the last four days. We got at least four new roads that we were demanding for years. You can’t imagine what these roads were like before Didi decided to visit,” said Moushumi Singh, 30, a woman whose house is 200 metres from where Mamta addressed around 10,000 people.

“I wish the CM decides to go around our village in a car. Then all roads pending for years will be built within a fortnight (in time for her visit),” she added.

It takes four hours to reach Samsernagar from Taki. The route includes narrow, bumpy roads and a river. Before Mamata, no leader of her stature had travelled the distance.

“I have never seen even any minister visiting our area,” said Jiban Mondal, a fisherman in his mid-60s.

Sources said that when Mamata announced her visit to Kalitala and Taki for a two-day trip, all government departments switched into action mode, from the panchayat to public works department, to fix things that needed urgent attention.

“At least six roads were built and a dozen repaired in a week. Even breached embankments were repaired,” said an official.

Water supply, irregular till Friday, was fixed.

The Bonbibi temple, where fishermen offer prayers, was renovated in four days.

Mamata in Samsernagarsaid: “You people live in a place where crocodiles are in water and tigers on land. So I want the administration to look at these issues and resolve your pain.”

Mamata with her family members visited the Bonbibitemple. She asked the district magistrate to turn the temple into a concrete structure and promised to visit again when it did become so.

Learning that only one bus covers around a dozen villages in a day, Mamata asked senior officials, including chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi, to ensure more buses were rolled out.

“We know we will get new buses soon because Didi promised us, “ said Ambika Mandalof Kalitala, which is around 5km from Samsernagar.