Housing Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib has said applicants for flats and land under the government’s “Aailee Boahiyaavehikan” scheme can request changes to their application forms by submitting a complaint through the portal.

Speaking at a press briefing at the President’s Office this morning, Minister Muththalib addressed concerns that applicants would be unable to amend forms after submission.

He said the application system is designed to lock entries once submitted in order to preserve the integrity of the points-based evaluation system.

“Every form is submitted and locked. This is designed to ensure the points are recorded exactly as they were at the time of submission,” he said.

"That is why we have been telling applicants from the beginning to provide accurate information.”

Minister Muththalib said allowing unrestricted changes could create opportunities for manipulation, particularly where applicants attempt to improve their scores after submission.

“If we allow everyone to change the points, people will try to adjust their applications to get the highest marks, and that would lead to various problems,” he said.

However, he said applicants are still able to request corrections by submitting complaints through the housing portal.

“If a complaint is submitted, we review it within a few days and assess whether an application needs to be improved. So far, many applicants have been given that opportunity,” he said.

The deadline for applications is 31 May.

According to figures released by the minister, around 37,000 draft applications have been submitted so far.

Minister Muththalib noted that the programme includes allocations of 15,000 land plots of 1,250 square feet and 7,900 flats.

He also said previous "Hiyaa" housing schemes had attracted strong demand, with around 23,000 applicants for a major flats project and about 20,000 applicants for 4,000 flats under the previous administration.