Patiala, Oct. 3 -- Authorities in Punjab said they have logged 59 incidents of stubble burning until Wednesday, as per the figures released by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on Thursday, when the state officially started paddy procurement for the season. The border districts, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, where early paddy varieties are harvested, account for 47 of 59 crop burning incidents. Amritsar accounted for 35 of the total incidents, with officials inspecting 46 of the 59 reported fire spots and levying environmental compensation to the tune of Rs.60,000. While the data showed 95 fires recorded over the corresponding period last year, experts and authorities expect the number to rise in the coming days. PPCB nodal officer Rajeev Uthos said that standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been issued to field teams. "Drones will also be deployed in the coming days as harvesting picks up pace. Field officers have been directed to strictly enforce SOPs and monitor fire incidents," he said.Authorities said that 12 incidents were confirmed as stubble burning, while others were violations of related crop-burning norms. In Patiala's Samana block, an FIR was registered against an unidentified person for violating stubble burning norms....