The district administration in the temple town of Mathura has made the registration of e-rickshaws mandatory in a bid to prevent exploitation and harassment of pilgrims by operators, officials said.

The scheme would roll in from April 1 and would be implemented in a phase-wise manner.

"In the first phase, the rule will apply on e-rickshaws plying on the Govardhan Parikrama route. Only 400 e-rickshaws with valid registration number would be allowed to ply on the Parikrama route," sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Govardhan Kamlesh Goel said.

Every e-rickshaw plying on the Parikrama route will have a legible rate list for different distances, with the registration number, and the telephone number of the police properly marked on the vehicle.

The official said the system would apply on e-rickshaw plying on the nearly 22-km-long Govardhan Parikrama route in the first phase, while other areas would be covered in phases.

A large number of devotees who undertake Govardhan Parikrama (the action or ritual of moving clockwise around an object of devotion as an indication of reverence) cover the entire distance on foot. However, some elderly and senior citizens avail the service of the e-rickshaws.

A dress code will also apply for drivers, who will be given an identity token officials said.