"Tamil Nadu will not give up its rights with regard to Siruvani and Mullaperiyar," he told reporters here yesterday.
He said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written to the Prime Minister asking him to advise Kerala not to proceed with the irrigation scheme or any other project on the Siruvani at in violation of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final order.
Jayalalithaa had asked the Centre not to accord it technical clearance as it "violates" the final order.
Tamil Nadu would approach the Supreme Court if the Kerala government went ahead with its plan to construct a reservoir across the Siruvani at Attapadi affecting the interest of its people, the Minister said.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala are already locked in a dispute over the Mullaperiyar Dam issue. Kerala is insisting on building a new dam in place of the existing 116-year-old structure, to which Tamil Nadu is opposed.
Ramalingam earlier inaugurated the