Mumbai, Feb 16 : The Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission on Friday submitted to the state government its voluminous survey report on ascertaining the backwardness of the Marathas ahead of the Special Legislature Session on February 20 to finalise the community's quotas.

MSBCC Chairman Justice (retired) Sunil Shukre and other members submitted the bulky report to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence 'Varsha', in the presence of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, this morning.

Justice Shukre said this was the biggest survey ever conducted anywhere in the country for which around three-four lakh surveyors contacted over 2.25 crore community people across the state.

Accepting the report, Shinde praised the efforts of the MSBCC teams led by Justice Shukre plus the survey officials from the entire administrative system to conduct the massive survey on a war-footing, in a record time and virtually working round-the-clock.

'This report shall be discussed by the state cabinet and after its approval, will be tabled in the Special Legislature Session (February 20) to finalise the reservation for the Marathas,' said Shinde.

The CM reiterated that the state government is positive on giving lasting Maratha quotas that would stand up to legal scrutiny and also without affecting the OBC reservation.

Simultaneously, Shinde appealed to the Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil whose indefinite hunger strike entered the seventh day on Friday to call off his agitation as the government was keen to fulfil its commitments without doing injustice to any community.

/IANS